


Missile Kid: Beyond The Zones

by LonelyWhovian



Category: Bandom, Danger Days: The True Lives of the Fabulous Killjoys - My Chemical Romance (Album)
Genre: Band Fic, Bandits & Outlaws, Danger Days Era, F/F, My Chemical Romance References, No Smut, Nonbinary Party Poison (Danger Days), On the Run, Parkour, Post-Danger Days, Pre-Fabulous Killjoys Comic, Road Trips, Running Away, Swearing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-14
Updated: 2020-10-14
Packaged: 2021-03-08 23:20:33
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 17
Words: 36,566
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27014911
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LonelyWhovian/pseuds/LonelyWhovian
Summary: The Killjoys are gone, taken by Korse and his Dracs.Missile Kid is alone, a burden on those who take care of her.Everyone in her home wants her dead.She runs from the Zones with nothing but a car and a gun.But one day she will return.One day she will defeat Battery City.
Relationships: Fun Ghoul/Party Poison (Danger Days)





	1. Prologue

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Content warning for OD in one of the later chapters

A young girl sits on the border of Battery City, just within the safety that it promised, but almost in the Zones. Close enough to feel the heat radiating off the sand, and almost able to hear the pulsing music that promised adventure and excitement. The only thing the girl knew about the Zones was that they should be avoided at all costs. Her mother had told her all about the danger and death that ran rampant. But her mother was gone now. Where else could she go? Her frizzy hair had come out of its usual tight ponytail, her headphones nowhere to be seen. They were the reason her mother had been taken. 

Late the night before, she had wanted to hear the music of the Zones, so she had crept out of bed and taken off the headphones. Her mother was gone the next morning. Though she was barely a child, she knew that her mother would not return and that she would be next. So she had run. All through Battery City, trying to avoid the androids and scarecrows that littered the streets. She had made it to the border before she stopped. It was too late to turn back now. She had betrayed the city. Her punishment would be swift and final. But she couldn’t go any further. She longed for adventure, but Battery City was all she knew. Hugging her knees and crying, the girl wished more than anything to have her mother back. To have a family again. What more could you need? 

She stayed there until night fell. The only movement was the occasional dead satellite moving through the night sky. When she was younger, the girl believed that they were shooting stars, but her life was not one that allowed such fantasies. Eventually, she fell asleep, still lying on the edge of danger, safety having left her the moment she had taken off her headphones.

She was woken by a loud revving. Looking up, she saw a car, though it was unlike any she had seen before. It was old, like, last century old. And it was colourful. All the cars in Battery City, of which there were few, were silver or white, but this car was beautiful. It was covered in graffiti, an American flag on the side, a giant spider on the bonnet, and words and phrases everywhere. Inside the car sat four people. The one driving caught her attention first. They had messy hair, bright red, something she had never seen before, a blue leather jacket, and a yellow mask. The one sitting next to them had similar hair, but his was black. He wore a black t-shirt with yellow sleeves and had tattoos covering his arms. A green ray gun was holstered under his arm. In the back of the car sat two others. One was wearing a bright yellow helmet with ‘good luck’ written over the visor. The last guy had curly brown hair barely contained under an astronaut helmet. The car’s engine fell silent and they all got out. The one with the red hair slowly approached her. She felt her pulse quicken. These were the people she had been warned about. 

“Hey there,” said the red one. “I’m Party Poison,” they said while taking off the mask. The girl saw a kindness in their eyes, and it reminded her of her mother. She relaxed almost immediately. But thoughts of her mother brought tears to her eyes. She tried to choke them down, but instead fell into the stranger's arms and began to sob. They comforted her until the tears stopped. 

“Don’t worry,” they said, “we’ll take care of you.”


	2. Chapter 2

I woke up with tears running down my face. It had been a long time since I’d dreamt about the Famous Four. They had died five years ago, but I still hadn’t gotten over it. How could I? They had been my family. And they were dead. 

Cherri Cola had been there for me. He had continued to raise me, though even with the help of Doctor Death Defying, it was hard without everyone else. It had been a challenging five years. They wouldn’t have died had I not been captured, but they were reckless and young, so there had been no stopping them when they followed me. Doctor D. and Cola had realised where they’d gone and followed them so they didn’t get themselves killed. They were seconds too late. They saved me, but the Killjoys were no more.

When it came to grieving, Cola had it way worse. He blamed himself, drowning out the guilt at the bottom of a bottle. He was the last of the Killjoys, and he was their best marksman. He knew that if he had come with them to save me, they would all be here now. It had taken me two long years to stop blaming myself, but I felt that it would take a long time for him to follow my example. There was little I could do to help him, only take away his ray gun so he wouldn’t shoot the walls. 

While he had slowly gotten better, I could tell that my presence was taking a toll on him. I was a constant reminder of the family he had lost and why, so, on the day of my approximate twelfth birthday, I had packed a bag, nicked some money and a few cans of food, then left. I knew that he wouldn’t follow. While he was like a father to me, he had other things on his mind. For one, I was not the only person suffering from the deaths of Party Poison, Fun Ghoul, Kobra Kid, and Jet Star. Everyone in the Zones had felt it, even before Dr D. released his statement on the morning static. All the kids that looked up to them now had no-one, as Cola was as good as gone. Many of them only saw the Killjoys as a means to end Battery City, not as who they really were, the protectors of the supposed Messiah. That’s what they always called me, anyway. They told me I had the power to free the souls of Battery City, and, for some reason, I believed them. 

It had been raining when I left. The pitiful kind that feels like pins and needles, more of an inconvenience than anything else, but it was the only rain you got in the Zones that wouldn’t kill you, and I was thankful for it. It helped me to sneak out before anyone else was up. The annoying but consistent patter on the thin tin roof masked any sound I made. Dr D was already getting ready to broadcast as I crept out of the diner. I walked past the radio room and around all the teenagers passed out on the floor. The second I was out of the door, I began to sprint away. I ran hard and fast away from my home, as far out of the Zone as I could get. 

The sun had barely risen and the rain was hitting my eyes. I raised my hand to shield them, but it didn’t help much. My boots started to sink into the damp sand, but I refused to slow down. I had to get away from the people that I could hurt.

After half an hour, I sat down in the middle of the desert to catch my breath. The only signs of civilization I could see, if it could be called a civilization, was the blurry line on the horizon that was Battery City. There were no masks, no smokers, no drunks. Nothing but sand and silence. I sighed. Finally, I could hurt no one. 

I walked until I couldn’t walk anymore, then I lay down on the damp sand and fell asleep, trying my best not to dream. 

It didn’t work. 

I was in the back of the car, music blasting all around me. Fun Ghoul was helping me with a missile launcher as we yelled the lyrics to the song. I fired it at the passing ground and the rest of the car cheered. This was the life I lived now, the life I loved. Then I saw a flash of white. A drac.  
“Poison! They’re coming!” I yelled. They swerved into the desert, taking the offroad track. The car was not designed for this, but I could see their eyes in the mirror, a mixture of fear and determination. They wouldn’t catch us. They couldn’t.  
The car hit a dune and flew for a few feet. We landed hard. Fun Ghoul helped me load another missile and aim it at the oncoming dracs. I fired and saw them get blown off their feet. I used to feel bad about it, but Jet told me that they weren’t proper people anymore, just Dracs.  
A black car with BLI/nd emblazoned on the side was following us. Behind it were two dracs on white motorbikes. They raised their ray guns and began to shoot at us. Jet and Kobra stood up and started shooting back. Poison kept on driving until we reached a clearing. Poison swerved to a stop, the black car following suit. Three dracs and Korse got out. Korse slammed the door behind him, a cruel smile on his face. After a moment of hesitation, the Killjoys got out of the car, Ghoul pulling me with them. I knew what was about to happen. I had seen it before. We had never lost a lineup. If I had known today was going to be different, I never would’ve left the car.  
The Famous Four lined up opposite Korse and the Draculoids. I stood to the side, holding up the boombox. They were ready. I hit play and the shooting began. I knew immediately that something was wrong. Korse had not stopped smiling as he brought up his ray gun and shot Poison’s own. Disarmed, Poison ran towards him and kicked him in the stomach. The Scarecrow didn’t flinch. He raised the ray gun and hit Poison in the temple. They crumpled. I screamed and tried to run towards them, but Kobra held me back, then one of the Draculoids punched his helmet. The fist left a dent and Kobra collapsed. Within minutes, the Dracs had won. All the Killjoys lay defeated on the ground. One of the Dracs grabbed me from behind. I tried to fight it, but it was too strong. Poison turned his head and looked at me.  
We will get you, they mouthed. The Drac picked me up into the air. I screamed and kicked, but it made no difference. I was shoved in the back of the black car, the door slammed behind me. The last thing I heard before it closed was Korse.  
“Keep running.”

Once again, I woke with tears in my eyes. Only this time I was covered in sand. I wiped my hands on my pants then wiped my eyes. This was not a habit that I wished to continue. My stomach rumbled. The sun was beginning to rise. I had been gone for a whole day. There was no way of knowing if Cola knew, or if he was even awake yet. While he had gotten better, a party was a party, and he would never miss out on the chance to get beyond wasted. 

In my bag, there were ten cans of Power Pup. I grabbed one and opened it, eating it as quickly as I could. Once done, I chucked the can at the direction of Battery City, then continued walking away. 

At the end of the next day, I could see a Dead Pegasus station in the distance. I was nearing the edge of Zone four, the one that had been my home. The further you went into the zones, the more barren they became. I had a feeling that there was little else in Zone five, but a Dead Pegasus station was exactly what I needed. 

I reached it just before the sunset. There were a few people hanging around, but they left me alone. A few gave me odd looks, I glared at them in response. A lot of people hadn’t seen children since they’d left Battery. I went up to the counter and was greeted by a skinny teenager with an evil looking grin.  
“What can I do for ya? We got all the pills you could need, or a juice box if that’s what you’d prefer.” He gave me a patronizing grin. 

“I need a mask.” The grin fell off his face.

“You look a bit young to be following the Killjoys,” he paused, “but a customer is a customer, so follow me.”

He led me to a back room covered in graffiti. In the middle, there was a table covered in masks. The colours were almost blinding. Most of them were neon yellow, so many people wanting Poison with them. One near the back caught my eye. It was black with a red and green swirling over each eye, intertwining across the nose. The eyes were translucent plastic in green and red. I picked it up and looked at it closer. 

“So you’re a fan of Missile Kid?” asked the boy. 

“I am Missile Kid,” I said as I put the mask on. The lenses tinted everything, making the colours in the shop lose their ferocity. I gave some carbons to the boy who had yet to move. I was surprised to see how the Famous Four and I were treated as myths, as if we weren’t real. It seemed odd considering they had raised me, but I almost didn’t believe in them either. They were a distant memory, a story. I could barely remember them, but they had been my family.

I left the station, immediately greeted by a wave of heat. While walking to the vending machine, I pulled out my Vend-A-Hack. The old thing barely worked but I didn’t need much. I plugged it into the machine. After a few minutes of fiddling, I selected what I needed then grabbed the batteries and the ray gun. While I was there, I did a bit more hacking and transferred all of the carbons clocked into the machine into my card. Then I ran away before the owner got the update. Jet would’ve been disappointed. Petty theft was below me. The Vend-A-Hack just made up carbons, so we weren’t stealing, but what I did was bad. I pushed those thoughts away. The Zones were not a safe place if you couldn’t afford protection. All I had was my name and my gun, two things that I could barely use. I had a feeling that the next few days were going to be spent stealing and running. I sighed and slowed down to a jog. I was no longer trying to get away from Bat City, just stay alive.

When I woke the next morning, the sun had risen and the sand had started to heat up. I turned over slightly and was immediately burnt by the scorching sand. I stood up quickly, the sun blinding me. The light lessened when I pulled my mask over my eyes and turned away from the giant ball of radiation. I opened another can of Power Pup as I walked, eating slowly, wondering where I was going next. My first priority was water, as I hadn’t drunk any in a few days. I knew that there was a festival happening in Zone 4, but I didn’t want to go back there. 

It was beyond hot. The air was distorted and the sand was like molten gold. I had taken off my jacket and hat, but it was still unbearable. Every step was torture, but there was no shade in sight. My throat was dry, each breath was painful. I was struggling to stay conscious, but I knew that if I fell down now, I probably wouldn’t get back up. Then I remembered the boom box in my bag. I pulled it out and grabbed a tape. I shoved it in the cassette slot and turned it on. The first song that played was Na Na Na (Na Na Na Na Na Na Na Na Na) It had been a long time since I’d heard Poison sing. I turned the volume to max and sang along to the best of my abilities.. I started walking again with a renewed vigour. 

The tape ended around an hour later, a good few miles away. There was once again a Dead Pegasus station in the distance. I shut my boom box off and began to jog. The heat was killing me, I needed cover and water. Luckily, it was closer than I thought, so I arrived in only a few minutes. It was almost completely empty, save one person at the till.

“Do you have water?” I asked them. They looked at me closer.

“Who’s asking?” They said in a gruff voice.

“Missile Kid,” I said. They laughed, but stopped once they saw that I had not joined them.

“Missile Kid is dead. She died with the Killjoys. I dunno who you are, but the Zones are far better off without those loser-Killjoys, so it’s best you leave.” Immediately, I pulled out my gun and leapt onto the till. I shoved the cashier up against the wall, my ray gun under their chin.

“If I say I’m Missile Kid, then I’m fuckin’ Missile Kid. Now, let me ask again, do you have any water?” They nodded, fear in their eyes. I let them go and jumped off the counter. 

After digging under the counter for a bit, they brought out several bottles of water. I grabbed one and drank it in less than a minute, then I looked around the shop. A light green jacket with black sleeves and yellow bands caught my eye. I walked over to it and tried it one. It was a near-perfect fit. There was also a holster and a red bandanna. I grabbed all three and walked back to the counter. I paid for all of them without a word, then went to the other side of the shop and sat in the magazine section, waiting for the heat to pass. 

It was a good few hours before the heat outside was bearable. I grabbed a map off one of the shelves and left. According to said map, there was a small village kinda thing a couple miles away. I set off at a fast walk and arrived just before sunset. 

The place was almost completely empty, quite the norm in Zone 6. I looked around in the various shacks until I found one that looked as though no-one had stepped foot in it for years. I set down my bag and used my old jacket as a pillow. I fell asleep with my ray gun in my hand, hoping that no one tried to steal my stuff. If they did, their shadow would join others in the desert.


	3. Chapter 3

“Missile?” I heard someone ask. I turned over and ignored them. They didn’t go away, instead, they shook my shoulder until I sat up.

“Who is it?” I asked as I rubbed my eyes and yawned. It took me a second to remember where I was. My hand was empty. I panicked and frantically looked for my ray gun.

“Looking for this?” asked a familiar voice. I looked up and saw someone standing over me, bright red hair and a blue jacket. I rubbed my eyes again and they came into focus. There, standing right next to me, offering my gun, was Party Poison. I pinched myself. Hard. It hurt. A lot. 

“Poison? You died,” I said.

“Clearly I didn’t,” They replied, a smirk on their face. “You should really keep the safety on.” I stood up immediately and tackled them in a massive hug. Then I stepped back and punched them in the gut.

“FIVE FUCKING YEARS POISON!” I yelled. They grimaced. “Do you know what you did to Cola? To me?” I punched them again and they cried out. I heard running. The rest of the Killjoys sprinted into the room. “What the fuck guys? You let everyone believe you were dead for five years?” I ran at them. They deserved to feel the pain that I felt, that everyone felt. Before I could reach them, Jet grabbed me and lifted me into the air.

“Do you think we would’ve done this if we’d had a choice? Korse was going to kill you if we didn’t stay away,” said Jet. He put me down and the four of them came over.

“So what? He was going to try anyway. You could’ve at least said you were still alive. Why didn’t you tell Dr D or someone?” There were tears running down my face. They were here, they were still alive. 

“It’s okay Missile,” said Ghoul. “We’re here now, and we’re not going to leave you again. Also, nice mask.” I walked over to him and gave him a hug. It had been four years, and they still looked exactly the same.

“Why couldn’t you tell me you weren’t dead?”

“Well,” said Kobra, “we made a deal with Korse. He didn’t want to kill us, or anyone else for that matter, but if he didn’t, then everything he loved was going to be taken away. So we faked our deaths. Scarecrows don’t have any control over their lives, he’d clearly found something that he couldn’t live without. He helped us escape on the one condition we told no-one we were alive. If there was even a rumour of our survival, he would be wiped and his love would be killed. I’m sorry we couldn’t tell you, but he said that he’d kill you if we fucked up.”

“We know it was horrible, but we couldn’t lose you,” said Jet. “You’re the only hope Battery City has.” That was always their reason for protecting me. I was the supposed savour of Bat City, but I was twelve, with no special powers or talents. The only thing I had was my name and some prophecy.

“How’s Cherri Cola?” asked Ghoul.

“He’s alive,” I said, “probably. He’s been through some shit since you guys left. I wouldn’t be surprised if he didn’t wake up.” They exchanged worried looks. “I’m fine, by the way. Thanks for asking.” I was pissed at them. What kind of family leaves you for five fucking years with no plan of returning? I wouldn’t even know they were alive if I hadn’t run. 

“What’re you doing all the way in Zone 6?” asked Poison.

“I ran away. No one around there needed me anymore, so I left.” ‘

“What were you hoping to find?” asked Jet.

“I dunno. Something else, I guess. I didn’t want to be the reason you guys were dead anymore. I didn’t want to be the last of The Four anymore. Not that it means anything. Nowadays you’d be lucky to find someone who knew all your names.” 

“Well, that was kinda the point.” said Poison “Anyway, do you want something to eat? There’s some stuff in the car.” I ran out immediately. There it was, the Trans Am. It had been years since I’d seen it, but I remembered every detail. I stared at it. I heard a laugh behind me.

“Man, I forgot how much you loved this car,” said Ghoul. I smiled at him before opening the door and taking my regular seat in the back. This car had been my whole life for several years. My best and worst memories were here. I had practically lived inside it. I looked on the floor and saw my old missile launcher. Said weapon was the reason I had my name. I had immediately taken a liking to it and its abilities. I don’t know how many Dracs I had shot with it. When I picked it up, I was surprised how light it was. 

“So,” said Poison, “What was life like without us?” they asked.

“Boring,” I said after a moment. They smiled at me, I couldn’t help but join them. I had missed them all so much. “I’m still pissed at you guys.” The four of them laughed. I tried to stop myself, but I was still super happy. So what if they’d left? They were here now. 

“Where do you wanna go? We’ve got the whole world,” said Jet.

“Well then,” I paused for a second. “How hard is it to leave the Zones?” A grin broke out on their faces and we all jumped into the car. Poison started the engine, the familiar sound bringing back memories of our past adventures. 

The engine revved and we took off. It took only a few seconds for us to reach the top safe speed. This would be a lot less fun if the car broke down. We flew across the desert, the air whipped through my hair and it hit me in the eyes. I put on my mask, glad for its lenses. I hadn’t felt this free in years. Fun Ghoul stood up next to me. 

“We made you this, in case we ever saw you again.” He handed me a ray gun. It was bright red, covered in green and red with gold highlights and trigger. I fired an experimental shot into the desert, then turned and hugged him. 

“It’s perfect,” I said. The white one I’d bought a few days before was still in my holster. I took it out and replaced it with my new one. Then I grabbed the Boom Box and turned it onto the Morning Static. I hadn’t listened in ages and was curious to see how Dr D was doing.

“Look alive sunshine. Today is another great day in the zones. Missile, if you’re out there, you need to come home. Can you guys believe this kid? The day she turns twelve, she disappears. Anyway, here’s the news. The memorial concert for the Famous Four was busted up last night. Eight partiers got themselves dusted. Our hearts are with them, as their shadows are with us. 

“Drac sightings have increased, and they’re coming closer each day. The people are losing hope, and pretty soon the Zones may be overrun. Now, here is Planetary (Go).”

The song started playing. Ghoul turned the volume down.

“You don’t seem to be worried about increased sightings. What happened while we were gone?”

“Haven’t you been listening?” I said, “People are losing hope. The Killjoys were the only thing people were fighting for. No one out here has the guts to do what you did. The ones that do can’t. It’s the same news every day. The Zones are collapsing, and everyone is dying.” Poison slammed on the brakes. I shot forwards, gripping on the edge of the roof to stop myself flying out.

“And you didn’t tell us this because…?” they said. There was an edge to their voice.

“I thought you already knew. The Zones have changed a lot since you left. People are rising up against the memory of you guys. That concert wasn’t busted by Dracs, it was busted by other people living in the Zones. People are angry at you, they think it’s your fault that the Scarecrows have so much against them.”

“Well then,” they said. “It looks like we’ve got a Drac problem to sort out.” They smiled at me and started to drive again. This time we were heading back towards Battery City. 

“Aren’t you guys supposed to stay hidden?” I asked.

“Yeah, but Korse won’t mess with you while you’re with us. We’ve been out of the Zones for years, no-one’s gonna think it’s us. Don’t worry about it,” said Jet.

“What did you guys spend the last four years doing?”

“Well, there’s more than one city. We’ve been driving through the whole country. Let me just say that the Zones here are a fucking paradise compared to what you get outside, but it’s so much better,” said Kobra. “We saw the fuckin’ ocean, Missile. It was amazing. It’s just water as far as the eye can see, all black and silver. We saw a couple fish too.” I was amazed. I’d only heard about the ocean in stories about the time before. 

Ghoul turned up the radio. Black Dragon Fighting Society was playing. I had loved this song when I was young. There was a familiar buzz in the air. The Killjoys were going into battle. The volume was on max and we all screamed along to the lyrics. This was where I was meant to be. I hadn’t felt as at home as I did in that moment in so long. 

Once the song finished, Poison handed me The Mad Gear and The Missile Kid tape. I put it in and pressed play. We were going into battle and we needed our anthems. We sang along and yelled out at any people we saw. They stared at us in shock. 

We drove until we reached Zone 1. Already there was a group of people waiting for us. News travels quickly in the zones. And the Killjoys were back. We stopped the car and jumped out. Cola came running towards us.

“You motherfuckers!” he cries, pure joy covering his face. The four Killjoys ran towards him and they all tackled him in a hug. 

“Man, I’ve missed you Cola,” said Poison.

“Life hasn’t been the same without you guys.” Their conversation was cut off by the crowd of people closing in around them. A few of them looked disbelieving, a few looked happy, but most looked real fuckin’ angry. I could tell that things were about to get violent. I stood up on top of Trans Am and yelled at the top of my voice;

“I know you’re all pissed, but the Killjoys are back, and we’re gonna kill every fucking drac that sets foot in the Zones! WHO’S WITH ME!” The crowd cheered. A few people shot into the air. “Let’s go then!” The killjoys piled back into the car and took off. Various cars and motorbikes followed. I turned the radio on. Dr D was playing our battle songs. Everyone tuned in and turned the volume up until all you could hear was music. 

We drove towards Battery City, people shouting war cries and raising their ray guns. Battery City had noticed. There was an army of Dracs riding towards us. A sea of white and black against an onslaught of colour. I raised my missile launcher and fired it into the Dracs. Dozens of them went flying in the explosion. I loaded up another missile and fired again. The Dracs swerved to avoid it, but they couldn’t get away. Then we collided. The Trans Am hit Drac after Drac, all but Poison firing at as many as they could. Behind us the people of Zone one were cheering and firing. This was the kind of thing they left Bat City for. 

In minutes, it was over. There were dozens of bodies lying on the road, white and neon colours alike. Poison swerved and stopped the car. We jumped out and began walking towards the border. Any Drac or Scarecrow that we saw was shot. The Korse was there.

“You idiots! We made a deal!” He yelled. Poison glared at him. “You’re going to pay for this Poison,” he spat. He whistled and two Dracs appeared behind him. We all shot at them. There was a smoking hole in one of them. They didn’t even flinch. Korse laughed. “You’re going to have to try harder than that.”

“Missile!” I heard someone yell. I turned and saw someone with my missile launcher. They threw it over the crowd and I caught it. I stumbled for a second then loaded it and rested it on my shoulder. Korse laughed again and I fired at the nearest draculoid. It caught it and threw it into the desert. 

“Run little girl. Your Killjoys can’t protect you now,” he said. I snarled at him and raised my ray gun.

“Missile! Don’t!” Poison yelled. I looked at them, confused. “We give in. Just let Missile go.” Korse nodded and tossed four draculoid masks at the killjoys.

“Poison! Jet! Kobra! Ghoul! What are you doing?!” I yelled. They looked at me sadly and dropped their masks and guns.

“You will save Battery City, Missile. We will wait for you.” That was the last thing Poison said before the four of them put on the Drac masks.

“NO!” I yelled. I ran at them, tears streaming down my face. I was not going to lose them again. Cola grabbed me and pulled me back.

“Don’t. You’ll get yourself killed,” he said.

“I don’t care! Let me go!” I struggled against him as the killjoys discarded their jackets and climbed into the B.L.I. car. They drove off and the crowd fell silent. Cola let go of me and I sprinted forwards. I fell to my knees and picked up their guns, jackets, and masks. Cola came and sat next to me. He was crying. I buried my face in the jackets in my arms. They were gone. And they had only just come back. Why did they give up so easily? Cola picked me up and put me in the front seat of the Trans Am. 

“You’re going to be okay. You’re going to re-learn to drive, then you’re going to drive away. Okay?” I looked up at him, confused. “People are going to be beyond angry, and you’re not a child anymore. You can hold your own in a fight, and people are gonna use that as a reason to attack. You need to leave the Zones. Come back in a couple years. They might’ve cooled off by then.” I nodded and reached down under the seat. I grabbed the pedal extensions that Kobra had made for me and clipped them onto the pedals.

“Stop by the diner. I’ll hold them off and give you some supplies.” Cola patted me on the back then closed the car door. I started the engine and put it into gear, then I drove away. People were yelling and screaming. I put a tape in and turned the volume up to drown them out. I wiped my eyes and put my mask on. Then I tied my bandanna around my face and switched gears. It had been a long time since I’d driven this car, but I remembered what to do. 

I checked the mirror. People were on their bikes and starting to chase me. I thought for a second then turned right. The old dusty track I was on led to a dry riverbed around three meters deep. There was a makeshift ramp there. I sped up, aiming for the ramp. I hit it head on and flew over the dried up river. I landed on the other bank, hard. Feeling slightly dazed, I looked behind me and saw people raising their ray guns and a few bikes in the old river. I didn’t stop or slow down. The car was complaining loudly. I would need to check it over when I was safe.

A short time later, I pulled up outside of the diner. Cola ran out, his arms filled with bags, and dumped them in the back. He quickly filled up the tank and gave me some tips on how to repair things then he told me to run. I nodded and said goodbye, then I drove off into the desert. 

Twenty minutes later, I was outside of the Zones for the first time in my life.


	4. Chapter 4

The second I left Zone 6, something changed. The oppressive heat lifted slightly and the constant sense of danger went with it. I thought it was something weird, as if the Zones weren’t a true reflection of what the outside world was like, then I smelt something metallic and felt the air get heavier. It wasn’t anything odd, just acid rain clouds. I rolled up all the windows and turned on the old windscreen wipers. The acid had eaten through the rubber, so they were pretty much useless, but it was better than nothing. Then the rain started to fall. Giant drops of brown and green water splashed on the car and the ground, leaving large indents in the sand. The large drops thudded on the roof. I knew they weren’t acidic enough to burn through anything more than paint, but I was still worried. I turned up the music to distract myself and kept on driving.

The barren wasteland continued for miles. I drove until the sun had set. The headlights didn’t work anymore and I did not want to risk crashing my only mode of transport. I pulled off the road then climbed into the back seat, ray gun in hand. Using Poison’s jacket as a pillow, I eventually fell into a fitful sleep. I didn’t dream of anything which was a pleasant surprise.

I woke up on the floor of the car in quite an uncomfortable position. At some time in the night I had fallen off the back seat. Kobra’s helmet was digging into my back. I was surprised it hadn’t woken me. The rain had stopped at some point and the blistering heat had returned. I stepped outside for a quick stretch then checked over the whole car. A few repairs were needed here and there, but overall it was okay. Looking in the trunk I saw that Cola had given me plenty of food and several spare ray guns, aside from the Killjoys’ ones that I still had. I grabbed a can of food and sat on the bonnet to eat it. The empty desert unfolded in front of me. I couldn’t see anything apart from the occasional shrub and the road that slowly got more and more sandy until it blended in with the rest of the desert. After a small drink of water, I got back in the car and began to drive again. 

I stopped a few hours later to eat some lunch and refuel. Cola had been kind enough to fill half the trunk with cans of petrol. A pricey gift. I filled up the tank and got back into the car. 

“Oi! Zoner!” I heard someone yell. I grabbed my ray gun and got out.

“Who’s there?” I yelled.

“We’ve got a kid on our hands,” said another voice. 

“How much do you think we’ll get for the car?” asked the first one. I immediately jumped back into the car and started the engine. I took off into the desert, faster than I’d ever driven before. Checking the rearview mirror, I saw two teens wearing rags and weird cardboard masks. They looked on in shock and I stuck my ray gun out of the window and fired at one of them. It didn’t hit them, but the two of them ran away. I hoped that they weren’t getting back up. The last thing I wanted was to fight. I knew that they would probably meet me at the end of the road, so I turned onto the flattest part of sand and drove off. I didn’t stop until the sun rose the next morning. 

I doubted it would be safe to rest with the car in plain sight, but I was struggling to keep my eyes open. This time I stayed in the front seat, the keys still in the ignition and all the doors locked. Even though it felt like I only closed my eyes for a second, when I woke, it was dark. I checked that nothing had been stolen then tried to start up the car. It wouldn’t start. I sighed and sat back. If you drove for two days, the Trans Am would break down for one. It was the way of the world. I sighed and figured I may as well sleep.

The next day, the car was working again and I kept on driving. Whenever I woke up I felt like leaving the car and just running into the desert. I knew that it would kill me, but I didn’t really care. The only thing that kept me going was the thought of going back to the Zones to save Battery City. 

After an uncountable number of days (probably, like, three) I saw signs of people. A small group of corrugated iron shacks and another Dead Pegasus station. I pulled up into the gas station and filled up the tank and the containers in the trunk. I then went inside, ray gun in hand.

“How can I help you, young lady?” asked a small woman standing behind the till. She had bright pink hair and a yellow jacket. 

“Do you have any water and a map?” I asked. She laughed at me.

“We don’t get water out here. Silly little fucker. I bet you’re from the Zones. I can give you soda or beer.” She looked at me expectantly. I thought for a moment, deciding if I wanted to remember the next couple days or not. 

“I’ll take as much soda as I can,” I said. She smiled and brought out three massive crates of cans. 

“Twenty carbons, if you wouldn’t mind.” I brought out my card and paid for it, then carried them all into the car. Then I slipped back in and nicked several interesting magazines and a map. She didn’t notice. There were cameras, but no lights on, so I knew they didn’t work. Then I went back outside and into the car. 

“Nice car, Zoner.” There were several teens standing around me. I could see they meant business, and not the sort that would end well for me. They were armed with bats and chains. I got out of the car, ray gun in hand, and shot one of them in the foot. They cried out in pain.

“You little bitch! I’ll get you for that!” but no one came any closer. I pointed the ray gun at each of them then got back in the car and drove off. I looked behind me and saw they were all grouped around the kid I shot. I felt kinda bad, but I knew from receiving a similar injury myself, that he would be fine. Sure, he wouldn’t be walking for a couple weeks, but I had my ray gun set on low. 

I continued driving through the shacks, then I heard a scream peirce the air. It was the scream of a child. I leapt out of the car and ran towards the sound. It was coming from one of the shacks. Inside there was a child with his two parents. Except he was the only one alive. There was a bandit, one of the ones from a few days ago.

“So we meet again, Zoner.” He laughed. I raised my ray gun and shot him in the chest. Then I grabbed the hand of the screaming child and ran back to the car.

“Hey there, little guy,” I said softly. There were tears running down his face. He was painfully thin. His ribs were showing through the holes in his shirt. With nothing but skin and bone, I was surprised he could hold himself up. I couldn’t understand why someone would want to bring a child into this world. It was no place to grow up. “Do you have any other family?” I asked. The little boy shook his head. “That’s okay. Would you like to come with me?” He nodded and hugged me. I hugged him back as his tears soaked into my shirt. Almost immediately, I regretted asking him. I couldn't've been more than three years older than him. I didn’t know how to look after a kid. It was too late now. If I was gonna look after him, I was going to do it the way the Killjoys looked after me.

“Okay, kid. What’s your name?” I asked.

“Jason,” he replied. It was a weird name. It was kinda like my old name, not that I can remember what that was.

“Right. Come with me. We are going to get you a new name and something new to wear.” He looked down at his clothes, a t-shirt filled with holes that went down to his knees, and a pair of shorts held up by some string. I went to the trunk of the car and opened up one of the bags that Cola had given me. Inside was all of my old stuff. I don’t know why he gave it to me. Maybe he thought I would want to remember my younger self. I didn’t, but it was good to have it. I pulled out a pair of jeans, a belt, and a green T-shirt. Jason got changed while I went into his old place. I looked around, but I couldn't find any masks. 

“Hey, buddy, did your parents have any masks?” I asked him. He shook his head. How were they supposed to get to the afterlife? If they didn’t have masks, their souls couldn’t be collected by The Phoenix Witch. I looked at their corpses sadly. They would just be wandering shadows for the rest of eternity. 

“Are we going now?” asked Jason as I stepped out of the shack. 

“Just a sec,” I replied. I went back into the trunk and dug around until I found a mask. It was black with jagged blue lightning. “Here you go. Keep this with you at all times. This is your soul now,” I said as I handed the little boy the mask.

“Okay,” he said. “What’s your name?”

“Missile Kid, but just call me Missile.” He nodded and climbed into the car. I gave him a can of soda, then we left his town and once again drove off into the desert.

“Why’s your name so weird?” asked Jason.

“I could ask the same of you,” I replied.

“Are you from the Zones?” 

“Yeah.” He stared at me in disbelief.

“So you’ve seen Battery City? You’ve seen paradise?” I slammed on the brakes and turned to look at him. 

“Battery City is a lot of things, paradise is not one of them. Battery City killed my mother and took away my family. My one goal in life is to destroy it. If you have an issue with that, it’s a three day drive in the other direction.” Jason sank back into his seat. I started driving again and pulled out the map I’d nicked. It had been hand drawn, but as far as I could tell, we had just left Rodey Ville and were heading towards the slightly larger Oliver Point. It was only a few dozen miles away, but with a top speed of 40 miles an hour lest I run the risk of permanently damaging the engine, it took the whole day for us to get there.

Jason had been fairly quiet until we arrived, but the second we pulled up to the gas station he began to talk.

“I’ve never left Rodey Ville before. What’s the rest of the world like?” Jason asked. 

“I wish I knew.” Jason kept on asking questions about the Zones and Battery City. I gave him a brief description of Draculoids and Scarecrows, then told him to make sure his mask was secure. Then I handed him a white ray gun and told him how to use it. I neglected to mention how to turn off the safety. I had a feeling he was going to shoot something. 

We went into the gas station and I found a sleeveless leather jacket that seemed to fit Jason. It was bright red.

“Hello,” I said to the person behind the till. 

“Dude, what’re you doing out here? You’re, like, six,” he said, his words slightly slurred. I saw there were a few empty bottles next to him.

“I’m actually twelve. And Jason is like, umm,” I turned to him. “How old are you?” He shrugged. “I think he’s seven.” 

“Okay then. Whatever. What’s your name?”

“Missile Kid.” He burst out laughing. I glowered at him.

“Oi!” He yelled into the back of the store, “We’ve got a fuckin’ Zoner here! The bloody kid’s called Missile!” A group of equally drunk people came out of the back of the store.

“Yeah, I’m from the Zones. Do you know what they have there? Ray guns,” I said as I shot the wall next to his head. He flinched and stopped laughing.

“Who gives a fuckin’ kid a ray gun. The Zones are fuckin’ crazy.”

“That’s nice. Now, I’m gonna buy this,” I put the jacket on the till. The guy nodded. We paid for it and left. 

Once outside, I grabbed a few cans that were rolling around on the ground and lined them up on an old crate. I showed Jason a basic stance and how to hold his ray gun. Then I told him how to shoot. He missed by quite a bit, but I continued teaching him. We shot at the cans until both of us could hit them directly in the center. The sun had gone down long before. The cool air was refreshing and a welcome change from the stuffy car we were used to. 

“Where’d you learn to shoot?” he asked me.

“My family taught me. It was that or get shot. Tomorrow I’ll show you why I got my name. Speaking of which, Jason sounds stupid.”

“What kind of names do you get in the Zones?”

“Umm . . .” I thought for a moment. “Stuff like Party Poison, Cobra Kid, Jet Star, Fun Ghoul, Cherri Cola, Dr Death Defying, Show Pony, you know, names.” Jason burst out laughing. 

“You guys have a weird idea of names,” he said. I glared at him. 

“Yeah, but we also have clean water,” I said. His face fell slightly. Then he yawned and got into the backseat of the car.

“Well, I’m gonna sleep now. See you tomorrow.” I said goodnight to him, ate some dinner, then curled up in the front seat and fell asleep.


	5. Chapter 5

“Good morning, Missile.” I was rudely woken by Jason yelling into my ear. 

“Dude. What the fuck,” I said as I sat up. After stretching and rubbing my eyes, I went into the glove box and grabbed some more food. Jason finished his in under a minute. I savoured mine. Pretty soon we were going to have to start eating less. 

“Where are we going?” asked Jason as I put the car in gear and started driving.

“I don’t know. Just away, I guess. I wanna see the ocean, so that’s our first stop. I probably would’ve been there already if this fucking car didn’t break down every other day.” As if one cue, the engine sputtered and stopped. I banged my head on the steering wheel. I felt like screaming. “Well, looks like we’re spending the day here.” I gestured at the surrounding desert. We sat in silence for a couple seconds. The moment it got awkward I pulled out the boombox and grabbed a tape. There was quite a bit of distorted audio and a crackling American Anthem, then Dr D started to talk. I skipped through it until the first song started. 

“What is this?” asked Jason.

“It’s Na Na Na, by the Famous Four, my old family,” I replied.

“This is amazing!” He smiled and tried his best to dance along. I laughed and joined him outside. We were laughing so hard we fell to the ground. 

“Is that what life is like in the Zones?” 

“Pretty much. It’s way more fun though. I wish you could see it.”

“Why can’t we?”

“Cuz the people there are gonna want to kill me until they forget about me. I’ll be dusted if I go back.” We stopped laughing. Only then did it really hit me. I couldn’t go home for years. The people in the Zones might be crazy most of the time, but they knew how to hold a grudge. After what I’d done, I probably deserved it. 

“Can we please do some more target practice?” asked Jason. I nodded and quickly made some targets by drinking some soda. I set them up on a small pile of sand, and we began to shoot at them. When they were barely even cans anymore, I showed Jason my missile launcher.

“Woah. What does it do?” he asked. I smiled and loaded a missile then fired it into the desert. There was an explosion as it landed. “That is so freakin’ cool!” he yelled. I put it back in the car. As I was making sure it wouldn’t get damaged, I found a box of hair dye. 

“If you’re gonna travel with me, you need to lose the blond look.” Jason looked at me, confused. I grabbed some water and showed him how to do it with some blue in my own hair.

“Does everyone in the Zones have cool hair?”

“Nah, but I do, and so will you,” I replied. He looked through the box and settled on a neon pink. I helped him dye it, then we sat in the sun and waited for it to dry.

“What’s it like growing up out here?” I asked him.

“Kinda dull, really. If you can get food, you have to protect it from bandits. They’re ruthless as you can see. Everyone regrets having kids, my parents told me that all the time, but no one had the guts to do anything about it, so I was just left there. I was looked after and stuff, but I wasn’t liked or anything. Did you ever go into Battery City?”

“Yeah. They made you wear headphones all the time to make you think things, and they gave you pills so you don’t feel anything anymore. There are Scarecrows and Dracs and if you take off your headphones, they come for you. Good food though, and nice weather,” I said. We laughed, slightly awkward. I couldn’t really remember the city, but judging by the stories that I had heard, I was far better off in the desert. 

“What do you wanna be called? We need to get you a proper name.You can change it at any time, but it needs to be something that represents you, that makes you feel whole.”

“Umm…Motor Pop?”

“I mean, sure. You can change it whenever. Imma just call you Pop though.”

“Okay,” said Pop. 

“You’re basically a Killjoy now,” I said. Pop smiled.

The next day, the Trans Am was working again. We drove until midday, then we hit a town. It was pretty big. There were a few buildings, all fairly run down, but still standing. The Dead Pegasus station was right on the edge and I saw a sign for free water for children. I filled up the tank, then Pop and I walked into the station.

“Hello, Dears,” said an old woman. She was quite well fed and her face was covered in wrinkles, quite a rare sight.

“Hello, ma’am,” I said, the formal word sounded foreign, “there was a sign that said free water for children. Could we please have some?” 

“Of course. Will you be staying long?” she asked.

“Nah. I mean, no we won’t. We’re going to the ocean.”

“Okay. I’ll give you a few gallons for the road then.” She went to the back of the shop and came back with three massive water bottles. I hadn’t seen that much water in days. She helped me take them to the car, tutting disapprovingly at the selection of weaponry.

“You two really shouldn’t be going around alone.”

“Well, if we had parents, I’m sure they’d be here with their shadows,” I said.

“Oh, you’re from the Zones? They always had funny ideas about death and souls, but then again, so did the people before. Also, are you sure you don’t want to stay? You can come to my place for the night.” I looked over at Pop and he nodded.

“I mean, sure, why not?” I replied. The woman smiled and told us we could look around at magazines and stuff until she closed up. We thanked her and walked to the back of the store. I picked up one about ‘The Paradise in Battery City’ and sat down to see what it was all about. After a few pages, I had to stop. Everything in it was so wrong. For one thing, it may be a place of plenty, but it didn’t mean that it stopped people from starving. Also, it was not filled with joy, it was injected with joy. You took your pills to wipe the slate clean, and then you were told to keep smiling. I put it back and switched to a National Geographic. It was so weird to see how different the world had been before the Analog wars. 

A couple hours later, the woman told us she was closing up. We followed her out across the road to a small house. It was plain concrete with a flat corrugated iron roof. There were a few windows covered by shutters and an old wooden door. She led us inside. It was much nicer than the outside. The tiled floors were covered in rugs and the walls were painted with graffiti and drawings. She opened a door to her left. Inside the small room was a generator. She started it up, then turned on the lights. The room was cast in a soft, yellow light. There was a mattress in one corner, a sofa up against the wall, a bookshelf stacked with books next to it, and a small kitchen containing a stove and a sink. There was another door on the opposite wall. 

“The bathroom’s through there. Get yourselves cleaned up and I’ll make you some dinner.” I thanked her and went to the bathroom. I had a quick shower for the first time in days, then I got dressed and went back into the main room. Pop went in after me.

“Why are you being so nice to us?” I asked her.

“Because that’s what people do. You’re barely children, and yet you’re living alone in the desert. It’s not right.”

“Well, I’m going back home in a few years. Once people stop trying to kill me.”

“What did you do?” she asked, worry and pity in her eyes.

“I found the Killjoys, who supposedly died five years ago, then we went to take on Battery City, and they were taken away. Everyone in the Zones knows that it’s my fault, and most of them want to kill me for it. I know them, they will not hesitate.”

“You poor girl. What’s your name? I feel like I should’ve asked you that a while ago.”

“Missile Kid, though most people call me Missile. And my friend is Pop Light, but just call him Pop. Who’re you?”

“I’m Jenna. Your name is familiar. I think the Killjoys passed through here a couple years back. They said something about needing to protect their savour. They seemed pretty weird to me.” We stopped talking as Pop came back. Jenna went over to the kitchen area and started cooking something. Pop and I sat on the couch and did nothing.

A few minutes later, Jenna brought over heated cans of food. I didn’t recognise what it was. She said it was spaghetti. It tasted great and we both thanked her. Then we helped her pile up a few rugs to make a makeshift mattress. I slept on that while Pop was on the couch.

The next morning, she gave us breakfast and told us to wait for a moment. She went into the room that held the generator and came back a few moments later holding a cardboard box. She opened it up. Inside was a weird thing she called a camera and a collection of pictures. 

“I usually take photos of interesting people that pass through here. The Killjoys were about as interesting as it got. You probably need these more than me.” She looked through the photos then handed four to me. On each small bit of plasticy paper was a full colour image of each of the Killjoys. I smiled and gave her a hug. 

“Thank you so much!” I looked at them for a while longer.

“You two are also pretty interesting. Can I take a photo?” We nodded and she took one of each of us. Then we told her we really had to get going. 

“One last thing.” She went over to the bookshelf and picked up a couple dozen. “You’re gonna be on the road for a while, so take these,” she said as she handed them to us. We thanked her again and, after she gave us directions to the ocean, we left. It was surprisingly close, only a two hour drive.

When we arrived, I was entranced. It was beautiful. Blue and black water as far as the eye could see. The small waves that broke on the sand were amazing. I wanted to run and jump into the water. I had to hold Pop back as well. There were some pretty bad ways to get ghosted, but the ocean was the worst. Filled with acid and toxic waste, the black waters could hold no life other than the occasional fish. People used to eat fish. 

“Did you see that?” yelled Pop. I looked where he was pointing and saw a scaled creature as big as me jump out of the water. It was covered in black, with two red eyes and white teeth biting into a smaller creature. There was a loud splash as it landed in the water. It was the craziest thing I’d ever seen. I looked up and down the beach, searching for more fish. Instead I saw a small kid walking towards the water.

“NO!” I yelled and sprinted towards her. I scooped her up and sprinted away from the water. She started crying and whacking my back. Two adults sprinted towards me. They tore here from my grasp and looked at me suspiciously.

“Why do you have our daughter?” the woman spat at me.

“She was going to go in the water. She was going to die.” They looked at me, deciding whether to hate me or thank me. They settled on hating me.

“You think we’re going to believe that you, a trigger happy Zoner, tried to save a life? No chance. Go run off to your drunk buddies. If I ever see you again, I will not hesitate to have you imprisoned.”

“Jeez. I didn’t realise how shitty the people here were. You act like you’re from Battery City or something. I hope you go there and they take away your memories.” I stalked off back to the car. Pop was waiting for me. 

“We used to have Ritchies that would come through our place. They’d take everything of value, saying they deserved it because they worked for it, then they’d leave,” he said.

“Who are they?”

“They’re people that B.L.I. picked to ‘make the world a smiling place’ by giving them heaps of money and telling them to report to authorities if they see anything outside of the City. The weird thing is, B.L.I. doesn’t do anything if you tell them.” That didn’t sound like the all controlling B.L.I. I knew. I guessed they needed more cities and didn’t want to bother with a whole war. Something about it still felt off though. 

“They seem like the kind of people that would let their kids swim in the ocean.” Pop nodded and we climbed back into the car. We drove along the coastline, spotting fish and just admiring it. We passed the family from before and flipped them off. They glared at us and we laughed. 

“Why do people hate Zoners so much?” I asked.

“Cuz they’re people that left Battey City. That place is supposed to be paradise, but it’s almost impossible to get to. They’re angry that people would give up a chance that they would kill for.”

“Then they clearly have no idea what Bat City is like.”

We drove in silence till dark, had a small dinner and some water, then went to sleep. I, unfortunately, had another dream.

We were at a massive concert. Dozens of Killjoys had come from all around to watch the Famous Four play. I was with them in the crowd, cheering louder than anyone else. They started to play and everyone went wild. Teenagers with cans of beer would trip over me or drop things on me, but it was worth it to see the Famous Four play. They finished the first song and were met with cheers and clapping.  
“Hey, Missile!” I looked up and saw Cherri Cola. He grabbed me around the waist and lifted me onto his shoulders. I was above everyone now. Poison saw me and waved. I waved back and smiled. They looked off into the distance and stopped singing.  
“DRACS!” they yelled. Everyone turned to see half a dozen dracs on their white motorbikes riding towards us. The Famous Four dropped their instruments and jumped off the stage, ray guns in hand. They sprinted through the crowd and began shooting at the oncoming dracs. The others in the crowd followed, raising their guns. Cola turned and ran into the closest building, me still on his shoulders.  
“I want to help!” I protested as he put me on the ground and told me to wait.  
“You’re only five. You can help when you turn eight, okay?” I nodded and sat in the corner until he left. Then I got up and looked over the ray gun I had taken from his holster. It was a good thing Ghoul had taught me how to pickpocket. I ran out of the building, towards the Dracs. Surprisingly, there were still several alive. I looked around and saw that more were coming. No one noticed me as I pushed through the crowd and began shooting at them. I hit one square in the chest. It went limp and fell off it’s motorbike. The bike continued for a few meters before toppling over.   
“That blasted kid,” said Cola. I looked up and saw him standing a meter away, looking at his empty holster. So he wouldn’t see me, I ran to the other side of the crowd. I bumped into someone's legs and looked up to see it was Poison.   
“Hey, Missile. What’re you doing out here?” they asked me.  
“I’m helping.”  
“Well, you won’t be much help from down there,” they said as they lifted me up and sat me on their shoulders. Then they ran forwards and we began shooting at Drac after Drac. I laughed and cheered whenever one went down.  
Then something changed. The Dracs were no longer wearing their white suits, but instead the colourful assortment of clothes associated with the Killjoys. I took another shot and saw it hit one wearing a blue jacket. The mask came off as it fell, revealing bright red hair. I screamed and looked down to see I was now on the shoulders of a Drac, white suit and all. Before I registered what was happening, my ray gun was at its temple and I blew its head off. It collapsed, but just before I hit the ground, I woke.

It was still dark. I looked over at the back seat and saw Pop sleeping soundly, wrapped in jackets. The dream had been a weird one, but it was already fading from my mind. I let it. The car was quite stuffy, so I opened the door, grabbed a magazine, and stepped out. I took a deep breath and looked around. There was no one in sight, but something felt off. I assumed it was the after effects of the dream, but I pulled my ray gun out just in case. Climbing up the car, I sat on the roof, cross legged, with my ray gun at the ready, reading my magazine by moonlight. The desert was silent. Still not entirely sure that it was safe, I decided to stay on top of the car. I eventually fell asleep, only waking when the metal I was lying on became unbearably hot. In my panic and surprise, I rolled off the roof and landed hard on the sandy ground. The air was forced out of my lungs. I sat up and gasped for a few seconds, waiting for my lungs to start working again. Once they did, I stood up and made sure nothing had been stolen, then I climbed into the car and started driving again. 

Pop woke up a few miles later and I put on some music. He climbed out of the back seats and shot down in shotgun. I handed him a can of food. 

“Why do you eat so much?” he asked.

“What do you mean?” We had only been eating twice a day, and not a lot both times.

“You eat something, like, everyday. Not every other like you’re supposed to.” I looked over at him. 

“Well, I’ve got money and guns, people aren’t gonna mess with me and I can afford to eat as much as I want. Also, you’re supposed to have, like, three meals a day or something.” He looked at me.

“Only adults get three meals a day. Kids don’t need that much because they’re small.”

“Were you ever not hungry before you ran away with me, Pop?”

“No, but Mum said kids are supposed to be hungry because they need to stay small.” I looked at him. He was still skinny, but not as close to death as he had been when I had found him. 

“When were you born, Pop?”

“I think my mum said 2022.” So he was nine, not seven. Only three years younger than me but the size of a six-year-old. I shook my head sadly. Don’t bring a kid into this world if you’re not going to look after it. I didn’t even know where kids came from. I had asked Poison once and they had looked at me weirdly and said storks. They refused to say any more than that I hadn’t been curious enough to ask anyone else.

“The car’s gonna break down tomorrow,” I said. Even if it didn’t, three days was too long to be driving it, “So do you want me to teach you how to read?” 

“Definitely!” He looked so happy at the prospect. I can’t really remember who taught me to read, but I wasn’t too bad at it. 

I spent the rest of the day teaching Pop stuff like the alphabet and how to spell easy words like his name and car and ray gun. Once it was dark, we fell asleep, and in the morning, I began to teach him properly. He caught on pretty quickly, and by the end of the day, he was able to read several pages in under thirty minutes, only needing my help every other sentence or so. Then the day ended, we slept, and then we drove. 

At around midday, there was a dark shape on the horizon. A few hours later I could see it was a solid mass of green. By the end of the day, I could make out trees. Pop and I were amazed. Neither of us had seen trees before. I didn’t know they still existed. We drove under the canopy. I slowed down considerably so we could admire the leaves and stare above without the risk of crashing. Pop rolled down his window and the air was crisp and fresh. I could hear birds singing in the sky above. It was beautiful. I parked the car and we both ran out, yelling with excitement. 

“Let’s have a tree-climbing race,” suggested Pop. I nodded and found a tree that looked fairly easy to climb. “Three! Two! One! GO!” yelled Pop. I put my foot on the first branch and began to clamber up. It was a good tree for climbing, the branches were all fairly close together. I climbed as fast as I could, pulling myself up branch after branch. Looking over, I saw Pop was way higher than me. He was like a spider.

“I win!” he yelled when the branches he was climbing became too flimsy to stand on.

“Okay, race you back down?” before he could answer I was already halfway down. When I was two meters above the ground, I dropped off and rolled to absorb the impact. Then I lay there in the undergrowth, looking at the yellow light that shone through the leaves above. 

“That’s not fair, Missile. You were lower down.”

“And? One all. Where did you learn to climb like that?” I asked him.

“There used to be this massive pile of cars near my place, so I would climb up to the top whenever I wanted to get away from people. Hey, what’s that?” He pointed behind me. I turned to see a massive black bird flying towards us. It screeched and extended its talons. I pulled out my ray gun and shot just past it. It screeched again and pulled up, turned around, and flew back into the trees.

“What the fuck was that?” I said. “I thought birds were supposed to be small and friendly.”

“I guess not. Jeez. I’m gonna go sit in the car.” I nodded and followed him, my ray gun still out and pointing at the trees. The second we were both in the car, I put it in gear and drove off, keeping a wary eye on the trees.


	6. Chapter 6

While the bird had been an unpleasant shock, the forest was so incredible we continued driving through it. I was hoping it would go on forever. Unfortunately, it did not. Just as the sun was beginning to set, we emerged from the trees and were greeted by rolling hills covered in grass. I was shocked. I stepped out of the car and went to explore the unfamiliar environment. 

“GET BACK INTO THE CAR!” someone yelled. I didn’t see them, but I did as I was told. The second I shut the door, a giant snake came out of the grass, heading for my open window. I panicked and shot it in the head. Its body slammed into the car door, leaving a green stain on the paint.

“What the actual fuck.” A person came running towards us, covered in metal armour.

“So, how’d you get your filthy hands on ray guns?” they asked. I said nothing and tried to wind up the window. “Not so fast. I’ll let you leave if you give me your ray guns.” Their face was in the window now, covered by a metal mask. “I see you’ve got quite a few. I’m sure you wouldn’t mind if I just…” They reached behind me to grab one of the ray guns lying on the seat. It was Poison’s.

“NO!” I yelled and shot them in the face. The blast didn’t go through their mask, but it knocked them back and left a smoking circle. I put the car in reverse and swerved back into the forest. I drove along the outskirts, keeping an eye on the mirror. They weren’t following. There were other snakes slithering in the grass, more and more with each passing minute. It was getting darker and darker. I parked between two trees and sat in the car. Pop had decided that it was safe enough to sleep, but I knew that the armoured person would come after us. We had something they wanted, and I had a feeling they were willing to kill for it. 

I climbed on top of the car and up into a tree, then I waited.

No more than twenty minutes later, a group of people clad in armour began approaching the car. I climbed down the tree and reached into the car, picking up my missile launcher and a few missiles. After loading it and resting it on my shoulder, I aimed carefully and fired just above the heads of the approaching group. It collided with one of the trees. The resulting explosion caused half of the tree to fall to the ground. There were many cries of “WHAT THE FUCK!” and a few screams. The armoured group scattered. I had a feeling they wouldn’t come back, but I didn’t want to risk it, so I decided against sleeping. Instead, I climbed up another tree and rested the launcher in such a way on the branches that I could shoot it like I usually did, but the tree would take the weight, not me. Then I sat back and waited for the sun to rise. 

When it did, I climbed back into the car and we drove off. 

“What was with the metal clothes?” asked Pop.

“Well, probably to protect them from the snakes or something,” I replied. “Hey, do you wanna learn to drive?” 

“Yeah.”

“Cool. I’ll teach you when we get back to the desert.”

We got back to the desert about thirty minutes later. We swapped seats and I explained how the pedals worked and when to change gear. He listened closely and put the car in gear and started to drive slowly. While he was going, I told him what to listen for, and how to shift gears to help with turns. Then I showed him some tricks, like one-eighty turns, skidding, and how to do donuts and stuff. He got the hang of it pretty quickly, and I let him drive for the rest of the day. I watched carefully for around an hour, but once I saw he was doing it no problem, I went to sleep. 

When the sun had started to set, Pop parked under a small group of trees. They were getting less and less rare the more we drove. The air was also getting gradually colder. We had a quick dinner and some water, then Pop went to sleep and I sat on top of the car, guarding it. I didn’t get tired until the sun started to rise. Then I slept for a few hours before Pop woke me up and I gave him some more lessons on reading. It was another break day, the car once again refusing to start. So many people had tried fixing it over the years, but it simply refused to drive for three days in a row. If you went above forty mph for more than an hour, it would stop for two days. I reckoned it had a grudge against something or someone. 

I pulled out the pictures of the Killjoys from my pocket and looked at them, memorizing every detail. 

“I will save you guys,” I promised. They had done so much for me and all they got in return was faking their deaths then getting turned into Dracs. A tear rolled down my cheek.

“So that’s your family, huh. They look pretty cool.” Pop had stopped reading and was looking over my shoulder.

“They we-are,” I said, catching myself. They weren’t dead. Yet, said a little voice in my head. I told it to shut up. As far as I was aware, no Dracs had ever been turned back. Poison had said that you lost your soul when the mask was put on, but at the same time, it was hard to get near enough to a Drac to do anything other than kill it. I wiped away the tears and put some music on.

“So where are we actually going?” asked Pop.

“Ummm… I dunno. Just places, I guess. I wonder if we can get radio out here.” I turned the boombox on to the radio mode and fiddled with the tuning knob. There was nothing but static for a while, then I heard a snippet of someone's voice. I continued tuning it until the voice was clear. It was Dr Death Defying. I sat there, confused. Radio waves did not travel this far. The Zones were weeks behind us. Someone must have set up a range booster. I turned up the volume.

“This is Doctor Death Defying coming at you from Zone 4. It’s been 15 days since the unfortunate Draculoidization of the killjoys known as the Famous Four. Missile Kid, if you can hear this, you may want to wait a while longer before coming back. And now, a memorial playing of SING for our lost saviours.” The song started playing and I turned it up. I didn’t bother stopping the tears this time. Pop saw me crying and comforted me with a hug.

“They’re still alive, Missile. You just gotta find them,” he said. I nodded and wiped my eyes. I left the car and started shooting at trees to distract myself. Then I had an idea. I went back to the car and dug around in the trunk. I found a box of tape and spray paint.

“Hey, Pop. Do you wanna paint your ray gun?” I asked, pointing at the plain white one hanging from his belt. He nodded and I showed him how to spray paint stuff and how to tape of sections to get the desired design. Then I went around the car to touch up on any paint that had chipped off or been dissolved by acid rain. There was quite a lot, so it took most of the day to finish up.

Once I was done, Pop had finished painting his ray gun. It was black with pink and blue lightning strikes and gold highlights. It looked awesome. I told him so and he smiled. Then we made dinner and did some more target practice. We were both pretty bad, but it seemed that just having a ray gun was enough to keep people away. 

The next day was spent driving, as usual. We found a small town at around midday and stopped. There was an odd looking store near the outskirts. We went inside and were greeted by insanely loud music blasting from every corner. It was incredible. The inside of the store was packed with guitars, drums, and basses. I picked up a small electric guitar and played a chord. Jet and Ghoul had both given me extensive lessons in how to play, and Kobra had taught me to play bass. I was pretty good at both, but guitar was my favourite. 

Pop looked awestruck at the sheer number of instruments scattered around. He tentatively picked up a guitar, afraid he might break it. I remembered Ghoul’s performances where he would obliterate his guitar and have to buy a new one every show. The stark difference between him and Pop made me laugh. I looked at the price of a guitar. Forty carbons. I knew that I had at least six hundred from various vending machines and other people not keeping an eye on their cards. There was one I really liked, green with a red pickguard, a black neck, and white tuning pegs. I turned to Pop.

“You can pick one, I’ll teach you how to play.” He looked ecstatic at my words and looked all around the shop. He came back a few minutes later with a blue electric guitar covered in stickers of bands from the time before. I picked up two amps, some cool looking picks, and some cables, then went to the till and put them all there.

“Hello?” I called. A guy came over.

“Just this?” he asked, a smile on his face. “We don’t get customers too often.” I smiled at him and paid for all of it. 

“What’s playing?” I asked. Something about it seemed familiar.

“Some band from before. I found a massive box filled with tapes a few years back. They’re called My Chemical Romance. I still have heaps of tapes if you want them.” I nodded and he came back with a massive box. “I’ve got a few other bands here too. Panic! At The Disco, Twenty One Pilots, Fall Out Boy, and this really epic band called Queen. Tell you what, since you’re buying all this stuff, I’ll give you all of their stuff for free. Okay?” I nodded and he brought out several dozen. “Here you go,” he said as he deposited them into my arms. I thanked him and Pop helped me carry the guitars, amps, and other stuff out before he changed his mind. We loaded the car and left.

“I didn’t know there was so much music,” said Pop, his voice filled with wonder.

“I knew it existed, but I’d never heard it before.” I put the first My Chemical Romance tape in, I Brought You My Bullets, You Brought Me Your Love, and pressed play as we drove off. The next forty minutes was filled with some of the most amazing music ever. Or so I thought until I put in their second album, Three Cheers For Sweet Revenge. Once again I was hit with a blast of epic sound. Something about it was so familiar, yet so different. Then the album ended and I put on their third and final album, The Black Parade. It was incredible. All music I had heard before paled in comparison.

“Damn. Who are these people?” asked Pop. I didn’t know. Then a slower song began to play. I wasn’t sure what instrument it was, but it sounded cool. Then the singer started.

“Turn away. If you could get me a drink of water ‘cause my lips are chapped and faded.” I recognized that voice. It was Poison. Then I realised why everything sounded so familiar. The guitars were Ghoul and Jet, the bass was Kobra, and the singer was Poison. This is who they had been in the time before. I looked over the tape case and found the info about the band. It said that the five members were Gerard Way, the lead singer, Ray Toro on guitar, Frank Iero also on guitar, Mikey Way on guitar, and Bob Bryar on drums. I didn’t know anything about the Killjoys in the time before, and learning it just made me sad. They had left the life of making music to fight in the Analog wars. 

“These are the Killjoys, Pop,” I said. The song that was playing brought tears to my eyes. I didn’t know what it was about, other than death, but something about it was so emotional. Looking at the album summary, I saw that the song playing was called cancer. I was pretty sure that it was some kind of bad disease. Once the album had ended, I decided to listen to Queen. 

My Chemical Romance may have sounded different, but Queen took it to a whole new level. Guitar solos, incredible vocals, and the weirdest things to sing about ever. What the hell was an Ogre Battle? Either way, it was incredible. 

We listened to Queen for the rest of the night. They had so many albums, like, 15 or something. It was insane. Just as it started getting dark, we came to another collection of buildings. We parked a little way off and stopped the music. I didn’t want people to know we were here, then again, the Trans Am could be heard from a long way away, so it was kind of pointless. Regardless, we parked a little way off and had some dinner. Then we went to sleep, well, Pop went to sleep, I sat on top of the car, ray gun in hand, and made sure no one snuck up on us. 

As usual, no one did, so I lost another night of sleep over nothing. I told Pop he was welcome to drive today. He was quite happy and chose a Panic! At The Disco tape to listen to. They were really good, but I was too tired to appreciate them properly. A song with lyrics that made zero sense came on. It was quite calming, with an acoustic guitar and an inexplicable sense of sadness. I soon fell asleep. 

When I woke, the air was incredibly cold. Colder than I had ever felt it. I grabbed a jacket from the back seat and put it on. It was Jet’s. 

“Where are we?” I asked.

“I dunno. The desert stopped a few hours ago, and now it’s just this.” He pointed out of the window. It was all white as far as the eye could see, only interrupted by the occasional tree. My breath rose up in a cloud in front of me.

“What the fuck?”

“I think this is what happens when it gets cold. It’s so weird.” He stopped the car and we stepped out. I sank into the white. It drenched the bottom of my jeans. I leaned down and picked some up. It was so cold, even through my gloves. I quickly dropped it and blew on the exposed tips of my fingers in an attempt to warm them up. 

“I think I’ve heard of this stuff before. Some new guy in the Zones said there was this place called Canda or something, and that it had white deserts made of snow. He had a weird fucking accent,” I said. He also talked about maple syrup a lot, but he wouldn’t explain what it was. Pop was shivering a lot. I could hear his teeth chattering. It was so weird to feel genuinely cold, instead of just not hot. I went back into the car and grabbed the rest of the jackets. After I gave Kobra’s and Ghoul’s to Pop, I put Poison’s on underneath Jet’s. I was still quite cold. This was desert clothing after all. I wrapped another bandanna around my face and rubbed my hands. 

“Where do you think snow comes from?” asked Pop.

“Ummm… I think it’s like frozen rain or something. Though not acid rain.” He nodded and climbed up onto the bonnet of the car. His shivering stopped somewhat, and I remembered that engines made stuff heat up. I had never really noticed it before. In the desert, everything is either hot, or hotter. 

“If it’s frozen rain, then could you melt it to get water?” I asked no one in particular. After thinking for a moment, I grabbed an empty soda can that was rolling around on the car floor and packed it full of snow. Then I searched through Poison’s pockets until I found a box of matches. I lit one and held it under the can of snow. The flame hit my fingertips and I dropped the match in shock. It fizzled out in the snow. I looked around and saw a stick on the ground. It was fairly dry. I lit another match and burned the tip of the stick. It caught fire pretty quickly and I blew out the match. This time I kept an eye on the flames, making sure I didn’t get burnt again. 

A few minutes later, I looked into the can and saw only water. 

“Cool!” exclaimed Pop. We still had quite a bit of water left over from Jenna, but it was nice to know that we could refill pretty easily. After a few more minutes of admiring the snow and the trees, Pop and I got back into the car and drove for another hour or so. After about half an hour, the snow cleared slightly. We were now driving through a forest filled with birds and bugs. It was still cold, but more barably so. Pop parked and we slept. I didn’t bother guarding it that night.

When we woke, the car was cast in a green light. The sun shone through the canopy above us, warming the car slightly. I took off one of the jackets I was wearing. 

“Can you teach me to play the guitar today?” asked Pop. I nodded and grabbed both of them from the back seat. We sat on the bonnet of the car, deciding it was too cramped inside. Whenever I had played with Jet or Ghoul, we had plugged the amps into the adapted car battery, but I didn’t want to risk it running out of power, nor did I want to leave the engine running. Beside, it was so quiet in the forest they weren’t needed. 

I tuned both of the guitars, glad that Jet had insisted I spend hours training my ear. Practicing it sucked, but it was very useful. Then I showed Pop some chords and a few picking patterns. This was one thing that took him a long time to get the hang of. The fact that I had barely played in the past four years probably wasn’t helping either. The tips of my fingers ached. Pop’s had started bleeding a few hours in. We both decided it would be a good idea to take a break. I grabbed a tape, Queen’s A Night At The Opera, and shoved it into my boombox. Then I remembered how far Dr D’s message had travelled and switched it to receiving. A crackly voice came through. I tried to make it clearer, but it seemed we were on the edge of the waves. Instead I turned it up.

“-increased sightings of Dracs once again. Another concert busted.-don’t come home-missed Killjoys-here’s The Only Hope.” I could only pick up snippets. As far as I could tell, the Zones were getting worse. I flicked it back to the tape and pressed play. The first track started with a very fast instrument, then dramatic guitar and something that sounded like a car revving. Then the instrument from the start began again, then the singer. Freddie Mercury, as I found out from the back of the tape case, was the lead singer and pianist. I assumed that the piano was the instrument from the start.

“You suck my blood like a leech. You break the law and you preach. Screw my brain till it hurts. You've taken all my money and you want more,” he sang. Pop grabbed one of the books Jenna had given us and started reading. I took out the photos of the Killjoys and looked at each of them, wondering what they would think of where I was. Pop stopped reading every one in a while to ask the meaning of a word or how it was said. I helped him wherever I could, but my vocabulary was lacking in some places. A few minutes later, a really weird song started. It was someone else singing about his deep love for his car. I could imagine Poison or Ghoul singing it about the Trans Am. The thought made me smile, though it was bittersweet. I made a quick promise to myself. The Killjoys were going to hear this song. And they were going to love it.

“What the hell were people like in the time before?” asked Pop. It appeared he had finally registered the lyrics.

“I dunno, but I’d love to meet them.” We laughed and fell back into silence, Pop reading, me just appreciating the music. A couple songs later, a new one came on that was different. I looked at the case and guessed that it was Bohemian Rhapsody. Six minutes later, I had finished listening to one of the best songs I had ever heard. Of course, I still prefered My Chemical Romance and The Killjoys, but the song was incredible, like nothing I’d ever heard of before. I didn’t know how they managed to make every part sound so different yet still fit together perfectly. There were parts where someone sang so high it was insane.

The style of music was so different to what I was used to. It was the same instrument through most of it, but played in such a different way. Eventually, the tape finished. I let Pop pick the next one. He chose Panic! At The Disco, which was a pretty funny name. I left him to read and went off to explore. 

We were still surrounded by trees, but they were far enough apart to comfortably fit two cars between. I walked over to one and did my best to climb it. The first branches were just out of my reach. I jumped and grabbed hold of one, then pulled myself up. After that, all the branches were at good heights to climb. 

Around fifteen minutes later, I was sitting on the highest branch that could take my weight. Without realising, the tree I had chosen to climb was the tallest one for miles. I was high above the rest. Behind me were the snowy forests that we had been in the day before, and behind them were massive snow capped mountains. It was incredible, being so high up in the sky. A few birds flew past me, but they paid no attention. I felt completely at peace until I looked down. The ground was so far away, I felt like I was titling towards it. I grabbed the branch I was sitting on and leaned back into the tree. There was no way I was gonna fall.

I stayed up in the tree for around an hour. Then Pop started yelling at me to get me to come down. I begrudgingly obliged. It took a lot longer to get down than it did to get up. Something had frozen on the branches, making them quite slippery. Once I was down, Pop showed me what he’d been doing. He grabbed his guitar and played a riff I had taught him with zero mistakes. I congratulated him and started showing him the guitar for Summertime.

The sun set a few hours after we stopped playing. We had dinner, then slept. The next day, I drove. We didn’t come across any civilization for a good couple hours. When we did, it was quite a few sturdy looking buildings. There were a few houses, a Dead Pegasus station, and a long strip of various shops. We got out and went to each of the shops until we found one selling warm clothes. 

“Hello there. Ooh, you must be from America, eh. They’re a funny looking sort, aren’t they. Not built for Canada, eh. Well, I’ll get you some jackets so you’ll be proper toasty,” the guy behind the till said. He was smiling the whole time, and, as far as I could tell, it was genuine. Then he walked off into the back of the shop. 

There was someone else in the shop too. They were far more interesting. They were wearing black boots, white jeans, a white hoodie under a white leather jacket, a black t-shirt, and black aviator sunglasses. Their hair was bright green and around their neck was a silver ring attached to a black cord.

“Hi there,” they said. “I’m Fawn.” They extended their hand. I shook it. They, like the person behind the till, had a weird accent. There was something off about them, but I couldn’t quite put my finger on it. I pushed away the thoughts and introduced myself.

“I’m Missile, and that’s Pop,” I said, pointing at Pop. 

“Weird names. But I’ve heard weirder. I once met someone called Poison. I’ll tell ya, of all the places I’ve been to, Ea-Canada is by far the most interesting.”

“You met Poison? Was their first name Party?”

“Umm… Yeah, I think so. They passed through here a couple months ago. Did you know them?”

“Yeah. They’re family. Were there others with them?”

“I think so, yeah. I can’t remember their names. I think one of them said something about you. They left this with me in case I ever saw you.” They reached into their pocket and brought out a very small model of the Trans Am threaded onto a thin chain. Every detail was identical, but there wasn’t any damage. They handed it to me and I slipped it over my head, tucking the car into my shirt.  
“I’ve got a lot of stuff I need to explain to you. And for that I need you to trust me. So come with me once you’ve got your stuff.”

Just as they finished talking, the guy from before came back out, his arms filled with jackets. I looked through the pile and found some stuff that fit. So did Pop. Then we paid for it and followed Fawn out. They lead us to a small wooden building on the edge of the town. 

Inside was a small fireplace, a few rugs made of some kind of animal, and a couple armchairs. 

“What kind of animal is that?” I asked, pointing at the rug.

“It’s a bear. It tried to kill me a while back. I returned the favour and succeeded.” I looked at them. They couldn’t’ve been any older than 14. 

“Okay, so what do you need to tell us?” I asked.

“I’d prefer it if your friend waited outside.”

“Nah. I’m gonna tell him anyway, so just ignore him.” Fawn sighed, but didn’t push it any further.

“Okay. So, as I’m sure you’re aware, people in this world have souls, usually connected to masks. When someone dies, you take their mask and send it to the Phoenix Witch so their soul can find its way to the afterlife. Now, Drac masks usually remove the soul and Battery City takes it to power itself. This means if someone with enough power, say a modern Messiah of sorts, were to go into the city and harness the powers of the souls, they could possibly destroy the mainframe and free every soul powering the city, reverting all Dracs to people. You have this very handy ability to detonate, destroying any power frame you wish, including Battery City. But you can only do it once.

“Now, you and your friend are gonna go back to your car, and you're gonna forget everything I just said until the time is right. Here’s your model car. It should start driving properly now. Oh, and as long as you’re inside it, you’re not gonna die. I’m sure you’ll come pretty fucking close though.”

Pop and I walked back to the car. The second we reached it, I forgot all about Fawn, all about what they said, and I wouldn’t remember it for a long, long time.


	7. Chapter 7

“I don’t get how someplace can be so cold,” complained Pop as he pulled on his gloves. We had left the town a few hours ago and were back in the snow. I didn’t bother trying to put the heater on. The last time I had tried the air conditioning, the engine had started smoking and it wouldn’t start for a week.. It wasn’t something you needed in the desert. Both of us were freezing even with the warm stuff we’d just bought. I put on a Twenty One Pilots tape and tried to ignore the cold. It was kinda hard when every breath rose in front of my eyes. 

The music that was playing was really good, but pretty goddamn depressing. It fitted with the current mood. Pop was so pissed about the temperature, I thought he might start crying. He was shivering like mad and his teeth kept on chattering. It was like when people got fevers in the Zones, except he wasn’t heating up. He had four bandannas wrapped around his face, and under his new jacket were all four of the Killjoys’ ones. 

After a while, it started raining snow. I turned the windscreen wipers on and saw they were all properly fixed. They were actually doing something. Maybe someone had fixed up the car while we were in the shop? I tried the heater and was astonished to see it actually worked. Someone had fixed up the car. But why? And when? I never let the thing out of my sight if I could avoid it, and we’d only been in the shop for a couple minutes. Pop did not seem to think it as odd as I did, he was just glad to have some form of warmth. 

Pop picked out a random tape and put it on. It was a Queen one. Every song had an undertone of sadness, of finality, as if the members knew something was ending. 

“What’s the album called?” I asked Pop.

“Made In Heaven,” he said after a bit. Maybe it was their last album and they were going to stop making music after it or something. It was still good, just sad. 

As we drove, the path became gradually smoother until we were driving along a new road. A shiver made its way down my spine. I had a bad feeling about this. There was nothing new or nice ever. Not even inside of Battery City. I noticed that the trees were gradually getting further and further apart until it was one every hundred meters or so. Then they were gone entirely. Ahead of us was a long stretch of asphalt road with clean white lines down the centre. On either side were fields of grass that went on uninterrupted for miles. I took out my ray gun. Pop opened the windows and roof on his side and stood up. 

There was nothing on the road for miles and miles. It didn’t seem to lead anywhere until I saw the silhouette of skyscrapers on the horizon. So there were other cities. I wondered if it was anything like Battery City. I took out the album that was playing and replaced it with The Mad Gear and the Missile Kid. We might be going into battle, and I wanted to be prepared. 

We were outside the city in twenty minutes. The car passed over the border with no trouble. The second we did, the air grew heavier and the sky darkened. We were surrounded by massive concrete and glass towers. I turned down the music so we wouldn’t get caught by surprise, but the city was deathly silent. There was definitely something wrong. 

“Mum, look, the Killjoys are back.” There was a tiny whisper from somewhere in one of the buildings. Then a kid and her mum ran out. They looked at us, awestruck. Then the kid said, “You’re not the Killjoys. Why do you have their car? What happened to them?” She ran towards us, anger in her eyes.

“I promise we didn’t hurt them. They’re in Battey City. They got caught. Now we’re on the run. I would never hurt them. They were my family,” I said quickly. Pop nodded behind me. “What did they do here?” I asked.

“They saved us. They killed the leader of this city and took away our pills and they freed us,” she said. I smiled. “How’d they get caught?” she asked.

“We attacked Battery City when I found them in Zone six, but Korse threatened to kill me with some indestructible Dracs and they gave up. I don’t know why.” The girl looked heartbroken. 

“So I guess you’re Missile Kid, right?” I nodded. “They really loved you. They did everything for you. Leaving, fighting other B.L.I. cities, helping to save the world, all because of you.” I smiled at her.

“BANDITS!” Someone cried out. Her smile vanished immediately and she ran back into the building. I put the car back in gear and drove to where the call was coming from. Pop raised his ray gun again and got ready to shoot. He saw the bandits first and fired shot after shot at them. I wasn’t sure how many hit their mark, but a few people cried out. Then shots started coming back.

“Pop! Get down!” I yelled. He didn’t seem to hear me.

“This is for my parents.” I heard him say under his breath. I knew what revenge was like. He was blind to everything apart from killing those bandits. I stopped the car and pulled him back into his seat, then continued driving. I sped up, heading for the group of bandits shooting at us. I collided with the first in the group. They cried out and I hit several more of them. Pop stood up again and started shooting. He hit all that I hadn’t. All except one. There was one left. He raised his gun and shot at Pop. He didn’t miss. Pop collapsed and I accelerated. The bandit didn’t even try to move as the car collided with him. They were all dead. I turned to Pop and saw a smoking hole in his chest. He was still alive, barely. I ran out of the car and pulled him onto the ground.

“SOMEBODY! HELP! PLEASE!” I yelled, sinking to the ground. People crowded around us. Someone pulled me away as others looked at Pop’s wound. There were gasps and worried looks in my direction. He was gone. I could feel it. The girl from before approached me.

“I’m sorry, Missile. He’s gone. I am so sorry,” she said. 

“NO!” I yelled. He couldn’t be. It was too early. We’d only known each other for a week or something. I tore myself away from the people holding me back. He looked so calm, so peaceful. I took off his mask and tucked it into my jacket. “You will be found. I promise your shadow will live.” There were tears running down my face, but I couldn’t feel them. I couldn’t feel the people lifting me up and putting me back in the car. I was numb to everything. They gave me his jacket and gun.

“Where are the bandits?” I asked the girl. She shrugged. “WHERE ARE THEY!” I yelled. Someone else came over.

“You’ll find them. And they will be afraid. You will avenge him,” they said. I could barely see through the tears that were filling up my eyes. Someone told me I should stay, calm down, recuperate. I snarled at them and put the car in gear. A few people moved in front of the car to stop me, but I kept on driving and they jumped out of the way. I put the car up a few gears and drove faster. There were no worrying sounds from the engine. I went up to eighty and sped out of the city. There were a few cries of “Killjoys!” from people that thought I was them. I ignored them.

I didn’t slow down for a long time. I looked everywhere for any sign of the bandits. I saw one in the grass beside the road and immediately pulled over and chased him down. I slowed down just a bit and clipped his arm. He collapsed on the ground and I leapt out of the car, ray gun in hand. I knelt on his chest, my gun pressed up against his throat.

“Where is your base? Where are the others?” I yelled. He laughed at me. I shot him in the arm and asked again. This time he didn’t laugh, just pointed in the direction of a distant hill. He told me how to get in then begged me to spare him. I shot him in the head and started to drive towards the hill. 

As I got closer, I could see there was a metal wall around the base of the hill. It looked incredibly flimsy, just corrugated iron on a wooden frame. I sped up even more and crashed through it. There had been people standing behind it, their blood now decorating the wheels. The bandits scattered. I grabbed my missile launcher and fired it at a group of people. They were blown apart. There were no missiles left, so I grabbed my ray gun and started firing. A few people shot back, but I got rid of them pretty quickly. I grabbed Pop’s ray gun, firing two at once. In minutes, I was the only one standing. Everyone else was dead. I sat back down in the car and drove away for at least twenty minutes, then I tumbled out and threw up on the ground. Once I was done, I rolled away from it but stayed on the grass. I closed my eyes, trying to keep away tears. It didn’t work. 

I don’t know how long I stayed on the ground. The sun had set and risen at least once before I found the strength to sit up. I waited for a moment, forgetting why I was sad and waiting for Pop to comfort me. Then it hit me like a truck. Pop was gone, dusted, ghosted, dead. I hugged my knees and sobbed. One of my arms wasn’t working properly. I looked over and saw a hole in my jacket, soaked in blood. Someone had shot me. I couldn’t feel any pain other than the panging in my chest. Pop was gone and it was all my fault. 

The sun set again. I finally stood up and went back into the car, collapsing on the back seat. I fell asleep almost immediately, but was plagued with nightmares about Pop and the Killjoys. It was my fault they were gone, and they all knew it. Then I had killed dozens of bandits. I was a murderer. 

I woke so many times that night, always sobbing and afraid. I was alone now. I was going to be for a long, long time. After wiping my eyes, I pulled out the pictures of the Killjoys. I wanted them to bring me comfort, but all they did was remind me of my failures.

“I’m so sorry, Pop,” I whispered. I thought about my mum for the first time in weeks. The only thing I remembered was that if it weren’t for me, she would still be living in Battery City. I had destroyed everything I loved. There was no reason for me to keep on going after that. But I still had Battery City to save. Not that I could do it. But I held onto that hope that I had purpose and the grief started to hurt less. Unfortunately, it was immediately replaced by the pain in my arm. There was nothing to hold it back now and it was relentless. I cried out and gripped it tight. That only made it worse. I bit my lip to stop myself crying out again. When I tried to sit up, something bumped against it and I bit down so hard my lip started to bleed. 

“Fuck!” I yelled at no one in particular. I knew I couldn’t sleep at a time like this. I climbed back into the front seat and started the car. The headlights flicked on automatically, much to my surprise. The bright beams cut through the night, allowing me to drive along the road without going off the side. My arm had stopped moving entirely, so I couldn’t change gears and keep a hand on the steering wheel. Once the city was a few dozen miles behind me, the road started to deteriorate until it was little more than dirt and gravel. 

I was struggling to keep my eyes open when the sun started to rise, but I thought I could see the blurry outline of a town ahead of me, so I pushed on. I was right. The town came into focus twenty minutes later. It was small, maybe seven buildings, but one of them had medic written on the wall. I jumped out of the car and made my way to the medic building. My vision was going dark around the edges and everything was covered in black spots. I threw up again. 

I managed to shove open the door to the medical building before collapsing on the ground. I swore loudly and several people came over. They helped me up and asked what was wrong. I pointed at my arm, too nauseous to say anything. One of them picked me up and laid me down on a wooden bench. My jacket was taken off, much to my displeasure. Someone started poking around the wound. I cried out in pain, then felt a sharp jab in my other arm and there was no more. 

I woke up a few hours later and immediately tried to throw up. There was nothing in my system. I was just retching over the side of the bench. I heard hurried footsteps and someone helped me sit up and gave me some water. I sipped it slowly and looked up at the person who was helping me. They were wearing almost all white with green hair. They smirked at me and left. There was something familiar about the black sunglasses, but I couldn’t put my finger on it. Another person came over with her arms filled with pill bottles and bandages. 

“I assume you’re going to leave pretty soon?” she asked.

“Yup. So if you could give me back my stuff, I’ll be out of your hair in no time.”

“Not so fast, buckaroo. You haven’t eaten in a while and that nasty wound of yours got infected. I’m not gonna ask what you were doing with a ray gun, I don’t want to know, but you can’t leave for a while.” I glared at her, then realised I didn’t actually have anywhere else to go. The only thing I needed to do was go back to the Zones to send off Pop’s shadow, but I wasn’t sure how I was going to manage that.   
“Fine. But could I please move my car so it’s not stolen?” She sighed but nodded. I thanked her and she helped me stand. I felt slightly dizzy and I had to stop for a second. She looked down at me worriedly and I kept on walking. I climbed into the car, glad for its familiar feel, and drove to the back of the building. I parked it right outside a window so I could keep an eye on it from inside, then I climbed out and, once again with the woman’s help, walked back into the building. She helped me into a small bed. Only then did I look down at my arm. It was covered in bandages. I started unravelling it.

“Oh hun, I wouldn’t do that if I were you,” said the woman. The bandage dropped to the floor and I had to hold back the urge to vomit again. My arm was swollen and red, the inside of the wound was green and purple and gross. It was one of the worst injuries I’d had in a long time. Someone in the Zones had a similar looking one in his leg and they had to cut it off to stop it from spreading.

“Are you gonna cut my arm off?” I asked her.

“No. Luckily for you, you’re a fast healer. It should be all fixed up if you take these,” she said, depositing several pills in my working hand. I swallowed them with some water as she re-wrapped my arm in bandages. “I recommend you get some sleep. Don’t worry, we’ll keep an eye on your car.” I nodded, the pills already making me drowsy. I lay back down on the bed and closed my eyes. After a few seconds, I fell into a deep, dreamless sleep. 

When I next woke, I was feeling way better. I unwrapped the bandages on my arm again and saw that it was almost healed. The woman came over again.

“You’re healing very well,” she said, gesturing at my scabbed arm.

“How long ago did I get shot?” I asked her.

“Hmmm… Two weeks, maybe four. I lost count a while ago.” I sat bolt upright. How did I not remember any of it? “You’ve had a visitor. I can’t remember who they were, but you were awake. They came several times.”

“I came in here yesterday. And I don’t know anyone for hundreds of miles,” I told her. She patted me on the arm.

“I’m sure it’s just the antibiotics. If you eat this, I’ll let you go tomorrow.” She pushed a bowl of food into my hands with a glass of water and some more pills. I finished it all in a few minutes and got bored waiting around. I spotted my jacket on the seat next to me and grabbed it. Inside the pockets were my mask, the photos of the Killjoys, and Pop’s mask. My breath caught as I saw it. I remembered his bright pink hair and his eagerness to learn. He was never going to get the chance to play the guitar for anyone but me. His life was over. 

I turned it over in my hands, remembering every detail. The only place I needed to be right now was the Zones. He needed his mask in the mailbox for the Phoenix Witch, lest he stay in the desert forever. At least that’s where I assumed he was, but he could’ve been anywhere. I didn’t know enough about shadows. 

A few hours later, I put everything back into the pockets of my jacket and settled down into a light and fitful sleep. When I woke up, I felt terrible. More so than usual. 

“You’re free to go,” said one of the medics. I thanked them and grabbed my stuff. I put my ray gun back in the holster and pulled my jacket on, wincing slightly when it scraped over my wound. The car was exactly where I left it. I climbed inside and stayed there for a moment, enjoying the familiarity. Then I got out and walked to one of the stores. I asked for a map and they were happy to give it to me with a compass and clear instructions on how to navigate. I thanked them. Everyone here was so nice. 

Once back in the car, I grabbed all the maps that I had and pieced them together. I found a path I could take to get back to the Zones. It wound around the mountains and avoided some of the more barren areas. Then I put the car in gear and drove off in the direction of my home. 

A week later I could see the border leading to Zone six. It was midday, too early to get in. I turned on the radio and heard Dr D talking. He wasn’t saying anything useful, but it was comforting to hear his voice. 

When the sun started to go down, I drove to the very edge of the border then got out of the car. I sprinted into the Zones, avoiding all the buildings and staying as far away from people as I could. I doubted they would recognize me with my green hair and gaunt face, but I was not going to risk it. 

Eventually, I made it to the mailbox. I held back tears as I dropped Pop’s mask into the slot. There was a soft thud and I turned away. There was nothing more I could do. I ran back out of the Zones and found my way back to the car. Curling up in the front seat, I let the tears run free. I cried deep into the night, thinking of all the ways I could have saved him. Then I slapped myself in the face. I was going to drown in guilt if I let myself dwell on it any longer, and I was not going to let that happen. I pulled myself together, dried my eyes, and started to drive away from the Zones. I wanted to go back so badly, but I knew that they would kill me. 

I didn’t know where to go, then I remembered Jenna. She would have a picture of Pop, so I wouldn’t lose him completely. I smiled slightly. Maybe life wasn’t so bad after all. That was one of the last thoughts I had as I parked the car and went to sleep.


	8. Chapter 8

The next morning I woke to the sound of gun fire. A beam of light shot past the window. I looked in the rearview mirror and saw a brightly dressed Zoner running towards me.

“I’LL GET YOU MISSILE!” he yelled. There was so much fury in his face. Apparently, I hadn’t parked far enough away. I put the car in gear and sped off. The car went to 160 mph, faster than I had ever seen it before. I drove at top speed until the Zoner was little more than a dot on the horizon. Only then did I start to slow down. My heart was beating so fast it almost hurt. I slowed down my breathing and tried to relax. It was kind of difficult when someone had just tried to kill me. It was a good thing they’d started shooting before they reached the car. 

The next couple days passed in a blur. I wasn’t sure if I ate or slept, or even if I had been driving at all, but I eventually ended up in Jenna’s town. I stumbled out of the car and threw up, leaning on a building. Something was very wrong. I took off my jacket and unwrapped the bandage around my arm. The wound was green and emitted a gross smell. I wrinkled my nose and looked away. My jacket rattled slightly as I pulled it back on. I checked all the pockets and found a pill bottle.

“Fuck me,” I said to myself. No wonder I felt like shit. I opened the bottle and swallowed two of the pills. Then I walked up to Jenna’s house and banged on the door. She opened it after a few seconds, a bloodied bat in her hand. She dropped it the second she recognised me.

“Oh my god, Missile. What happened to you? And where’s Pop?” 

“Got shot. Both of us. He didn’t make it,” I managed to say. I was struggling to stay conscious. She looked at me worriedly and helped me inside. The second I was close enough, I collapsed on the couch. I couldn’t breathe properly. My lungs wouldn’t take in any air. “Bucket,” I whispered. Jenna nodded and grabbed one. I threw up again. It felt like I was getting rid of my insides. I stayed leaning over the bucket until there was nothing left in my system, then a bit longer as I began heaving out blood. The pills didn’t look like they’d be much help anymore. Finally, the blood stopped coming and I lay back on the couch. I was drenched in sweat, unsurprisingly. 

“How long ago were you shot?” she asked me.

“Dunno. Six weeks, maybe.” It was hard to get the words out, but I could breathe again, so that was something.

“Is that when Pop was shot?” I shook my head.

“He was killed by bandits. I killed the ones that were there then found their base and killed every single one of those motherfuckers.” Jenna looked at me, shocked. She didn't say anything though. I closed my eyes for just a second and immediately fell into a deep sleep. 

When I woke up, the room was empty. There was sunlight shining through the small window in the corner. Jenna must’ve left to work at the shop. I sat up slowly and was immediately hit by a wave of nausea. I grabbed the now-clean bucket and held it to my chest. Luckily, I didn’t throw up. I put the bucket down and looked around. On the floor next to the couch was an open can of food, a bottle of water, the picture of Pop, and a hand-written note from Jenna. I read the note first.

You’ve been out for three days. Your arm is looking a bit better, but don’t leave. Also, you probably want that photo more than me. You can keep it. I’ll be back at sundown.

I silently thanked her. My jacket was covering my legs as a small blanket. I grabbed it and rifled through the pockets, searching for the pill bottle. I took two of the pills and slowly drank the water. I did not want to risk throwing up again. 

After an hour or so, I felt well enough to try and eat some food. I didn’t throw up which was nice, but I could only manage a few bites. I lay back down on the couch and closed my eyes. I didn’t fall asleep this time, just dozed until Jenna came back. When she did, she wasn’t alone.

“This is Alec. They know way more about medical shit than I do,” she said. Alec came over and looked at the wound on my arm.

“Do you have any pills or anything?” they asked. I nodded and showed them the bottle. “Cool. I’ll just clean this up and give you some new bandages.” I nodded and they grabbed a shitload of disinfectant. “This might sting,” they said as they dipped a cloth in the disinfectant and rubbed it into the wound. I bit my lip and gritted my teeth so I wouldn’t cry out. Tears were prickling in my eyes. I held them back but tasted blood as I bit through my lip again. After what seemed like an eternity, they stopped and the pain eased off. I stopped biting my lip and wiped the blood off my chin. 

“That wasn’t too bad was it?” asked Alec as they wrapped my arm with a bandage. I scowled at their patronising voice and they laughed. “Sorry. You got hurt pretty bad. Did the person that did it pay?”

“With their life,” I said. They looked at me, shocked. 

“But you’re, like, ten!”

“So? The bandits are the reason my friend is dead. They deserved everything that came their way. All they did was steal and kill people. I did the world a favour.” Alec backed off. I had started to feel tired again, so I laid back on the couch and fell asleep.

When I woke the next morning, I was alone. I took my pills and tried to stand. I made it a few steps before I got dizzy and had to sit down. I stayed on the floor for a moment before getting up and grabbing a bottle of water and a can of food. I finished both pretty quickly and walked over to the bookshelf. It took me a while to find anything interesting, but once I had I sat on the couch and spent the whole day reading it. It was pretty thick and I was only half way done when Jenna came back.

“I’m gonna leave tomorrow,” I said. She didn’t bother arguing, just told me to take my pills and avoid dying. I agreed and we spoke no more. Jenna made a small dinner, we ate in silence, then we both fell asleep.

When I woke up that time I didn’t feel bad at all. Jenna was already gone. I took two pills, pulled on my jacket, and left. The Trans Am was just where I had parked it five days before. As usual, I checked if anything had been broken or stolen. Nothing had, so I climbed into the car and drove out of the small town. I hoped I wouldn’t go there again.

I drove for a good six hours without stopping. I considered driving through the night, but my eyes were already fighting to stay open. It was a losing battle. I parked and fell asleep on the back seat, undisturbed by dreams.

I woke up a few hours later and decided I didn’t feel like driving. Instead, I grabbed my guitar and amp, plugging it into the adapted car battery. I strummed a chord, remembering the familiar feeling of the amp being so loud you could feel it in your chest. The songs that I had learnt all those years ago came rushing back to me. I played song after song, singing along with each of them. I played until my fingertips were raw and bloody and my throat had started to dry up. The feeling of freedom that came with playing music was better than being high. I had been before, and while it was awesome, I much preferred the guitar.

I took my pills and had some lunch, then I lay down on the bonnet of the car, playing My Chemical Romance out of my boombox. I was listening to their album Three Cheers For Sweet Revenge, specifically the song Helena. It pretty much summed up how I was feeling. Pop may have died six weeks ago, but it didn’t feel that long. I still expected him to be there when I woke up, asking me how to say certain words while he practised reading. 

The pills made me super drowsy, so I went back to the car and fell asleep.

When I woke up, I felt like shit. Everything hurt and it felt like I hadn’t eaten in days. I sat up and rubbed my temples. I had a splitting headache. After a drink of water, throwing up, some food, and some more water, I grabbed the boombox and switched it onto the radio. 

“Hello, Zoners. It has been thirteen weeks since The Killjoys were taken. There will be a memorial festival in Zone 3, as much free water as you could want, a few concerts, and quite a bit of fun. If you’re willing, it’s tonight. And now, for some of their best songs.” I switched it off, not wanting to listen to the tinny quality and did some quick maths. At the absolute maximum, I had been in that medical thing for five weeks, a week in Jenna’s place, and 40 days on the road. That was 11 and a half weeks. Somehow I had been asleep in the back of that car for a week and a half. No wonder I felt so shitty. But a week and a half sleeping? All those blank spots from the five weeks in a medical place? This couldn’t be normal. But this had only started since I’d been shot and started to take those pills. I unwrapped my arm and looked at the wound. It was now just a scar. I still had twelve pills left. Twelve that I didn’t need. I read the back of the pill bottle.

Take two every day if you’ve got a ray infection. An overdose won’t kill ya, but it’ll be real weird when you wake up. Or it won’t, we’ve never tested it.

Without thinking, I swallowed all twelve.

When I next woke up, I was real fucking skinny and my hair was way longer, most of it brown. I ate four cans of food and drank three bottles of water, then stood up. My pants no longer went down to my shoes, they were about two inches above. Said shoes were crushing my toes. My shirt and jacket, which had always been a bit large, were now tight and uncomfortable. I turned on the radio.

“It has been a year since the unfortunate taking of the Killjoys. Stay inside, keep your guns close, and don’t even think about fighting unprovoked. Now for some music.”

I keeled over in shock. I had been asleep for 39 weeks. I was thirteen now. How the fuck was I still alive? I should’ve died from starvation weeks ago. 

The car was completely untouched, even by sand, like some magical warding had protected it. Nothing was missing, no one had looted it, and none of the paint had been removed by acid rain. 

There was a weird feeling in the back of my mind that I was forgetting something, but I couldn’t put my finger on it. I pushed the thoughts away and sat back in the car. I felt so weak I could barely stand. I ate and drank some more, deciding it would be too risky to drive. 

Someone had told me that people used to go into these things called comas for ages, and when they woke up they had to spend weeks getting up to their former strength. I had basically been in a coma, so I started off with little things like walking around the car. I only made it a few steps before I had to start leaning on the car. 

I kept on walking around the car until I could no longer hold myself up. My legs were shaking and I was struggling to breathe. I sat back down in the car and plucked my guitar idly. I sighed and ate some more then tried to sleep. It was going to be a long couple weeks.


	9. Chapter 9

I was not wrong. It took me two weeks of walking to even begin running. I had tried my ray gun, but even holding it up was proving to be too much.

Finally, after several months of walking, running, doing as many pushups and situps that I could, I was back up to my original strength. I was way taller than I used to be, and I had taken to wearing the Killjoys’ jackets, but they always made me sad so once I was strong enough to hold my own in a fight, I drove to a Dead Pegasus station.

I filled up the tank and walked inside. The guy at the till recognised me.

“It’s you again.” He looked at my shocked face. “Don’t think I would forget a Zoner any time soon. Anyway, how can I help you?”

“I, uh, need new clothes and shit.”

“Be my guest.”  
I looked through the store and found a black shirt, a black leather jacket, some black boots, and some beige pants. They were all slightly too big for me, which was good. I was running out of carbons and I did not want to buy any more unessential things.

“Forty, if you wouldn’t mind.” I paid him and left. There was a vending machine outside. I grabbed my Vend-A-Hack from the trunk and quickly hacked into it to get more carbons, cans of food, and batteries for my boom box, though it had yet to run out of power. I cleaned the whole machine out, ran back to the car, and drove as fast as I could. 

Once I was a few hours into the desert wasteland, I got changed into my new clothes and went for a run to keep my strength up. I regretted taking the pills. Losing ten months of my life wasn’t worth it. Though the rehabilitation had given me time to grieve, to sort out my slightly fucked mind, and to start moving on. It was still shitty though. I still missed Pop, but it no longer hurt to think of him.

I looked in the mirror and saw how bad my half-green hair looked. I was all out of dye, so I grabbed a knife lying around in the trunk and cut off all the coloured parts. It was uneven and looked bad, but I didn’t care. It was at my shoulders now, covering half of my face. I didn’t move it. 

As I was getting back into the car, I heard a quiet meow. A small black cat was wandering over. Every single one of its ribs stuck out. I opened a can of something that looked vaguely like meat. 

“C'mere Kitty,” I said softly, a small bit of food on my fingers. It came over and licked all the stuff off my fingers. I took some more out and it ate that too. In a few minutes the whole can was empty. I picked it up and it purred as I stroked it. After a few minutes, it fell asleep. I placed it gently on the passenger seat and started driving. It didn’t stir. The last thing I was expecting to find was a cat, but the desert was always filled with surprises.

The cat woke about an hour later. I gave it heaps of water, which it drank quickly, and some more food. It decided that the best place to sleep was my lap. I didn’t bother moving it, I just drove more carefully so I wouldn’t have to slam on the brakes and disturb it. As I drove, I thought of potential names. This was all based on the assumption that it wouldn’t run off the first chance it got. I had a feeling it wouldn’t.

“Hmmm. How about Umbreon?” I said to myself. I shook my head. It sounded stupid. “Err, Black Jack? Ebony? Dusk? DudeBro?” I laughed at that last one. Why not? Who else was gonna hear it. “I dub thee Ebony DudeBro,” I said, laughing. Ebony pricked her ears, but didn’t rise. I sighed and put some music on at a low volume. It was Twenty One Pilots. As far as I could tell, the song was about a pet cheetah. Ebony started to purr and I smiled. Cats were awesome. 

I drove along for a few hours, tapping the dash to the beat of whatever song was playing. A long time ago, a few people had tried to teach me the drums, but rhythm was not my strong point. I had to keep in time with something, not try and keep others in time. It was still fun though. Just about everything in the zones was. 

When I came to a town, I stopped for the night and, after eating, fell asleep. I didn’t dream, which was nice, and I woke up 8 hours later, which was also nice. Ebony was meowing and rubbing against me, begging for food. I quickly fed her and myself, then walked into town. The cat followed, practically glued to my leg. I picked her up and she ran onto my shoulder and stayed there. I smiled and stroked her head. She started purring again.

I received a few more odd looks than usual, but no one approached me. Apart from one kid of about twelve.

“I like your cat,” she said, warily walking towards me. I smiled at her and took Ebony down from my shoulder and held her out.

“She’s not gonna bite, promise,” I said, hoping it was true. The girl slowly stroked her and Ebony purred louder. “You can hold her if you want.” The girl nodded and I deposited the cat in her arms.

“Hello there, little kitty,” she said as she stroked her. “What’s her name? And what’s yours?”

“That’s Ebony, and I’m Missile Kid. Yourself?” 

“Francine. Stupid name, I know. I wish I had a Zoner name like you.”

“Well, what’s stopping you? Your name is your identity. Call yourself whatever you want,” I said to her. She smiled and thought for a moment. 

“Hmmm. I like the name Kit Kat. I dunno what it means, but someone mentioned it once.”

“Kit Kat it is,” I said. She smiled at me and my heart fluttered slightly. 

“I should probably get going. My parents’ll be mad. They need me to get food and stuff. You’re lucky that you can do whatever you want.” She put Ebony on the ground and turned to go.

“Wait!” I called out. “You can come with me if you want. You don’t have to though,” I added quickly. “It gets kinda lonely, to be honest. It would be nice to have some company.” She looked at me for a second, staring deep into my eyes. Hers were such a nice colour, blue in the centre, but green around the edges. The light caught them and they looked so beautiful. 

“Gimme a minute. I just need to grab some stuff.” She sprinted off. 

She came back a few minutes later with a bag over her shoulders. I led her to the car, Ebony close behind, and she put her stuff in the trunk.

“How long have you been on the run?” she asked.

“Who says I’m on the run?”

“Why else would you be out of the Zones. There isn’t much to see.”

“Fair point. I left around a year ago, though I’ve only been travelling for a few weeks.”

“What were you doing the rest of the time?”

“I got shot. It got infected. I took too many pills and woke up 9 months later. There’s something real weird about this car.” She looked at me in shock. I bit my lip to stop myself from smiling. “What can I say? Maybe the Killjoys were right about being the Messiah or some shit, or maybe I just got lucky. Either way, I’m still here, and I’m not planning on leaving.” She smiled at me and I smiled back. I internally yelled at my heart to stop feeling so weird.

“So, should we get going?” she asked me. I nodded and we both got in, Ebony jumping onto my lap. Kit Kat looked at everything in wonder. 

“First time in a car?” I asked. She nodded, eyes wide, examining every detail. “Well, there isn’t a better car than the Trans Am, so it’s a good place to start.” I smiled at her and she laughed. She had the most incredible laugh. I shook myself out of a daze and put the car in gear.

“Where do you wanna go?” I asked her. 

“Do you know where we can see trees?”

“Sure thing, Kit.” We smiled at each other and my chest filled with an unusual warmth. I quickly squashed it down and concentrated on driving. 

“Can you read and stuff?” I asked Kit. 

“Of course. Don’t think that just because I’m not from the Zones that I’m fucking illiterate.” There was an edge of anger to her voice.

“I’m sorry,” I said quickly, “I had a friend from a town near here and he couldn’t read. Sorry for making assumptions.”

“Had?” she inquired.

“He got shot a few months back. Fatal. I killed the bastards that did it, but he was a good kid.” There was no pang in my chest when I talked about him. Time really did heal all wounds, even if you didn’t know it was passing. Kit put a hand on my shoulder.

“I’m sorry Missile. I’m sure he was awesome.” I nodded and tried to ignore the buzz I was getting from her touching my shoulder. 

“Yeah.” We drove in silence for a bit, but it felt kinda awkward, so I directed her to the tapes by her feet and she picked one up.

“Panic! At The Disco?” she asked.

“They’re really good. ‘Specially A Fever You Can’t Sweat Out.” She shrugged and put on the tape. The first couple songs played and she looked shocked.

“Dude, what is this stuff?! It’s so good!”

“I know. Music was crazy in the time before. Way cooler than the stuff you get now.”

“Wait, people are still writing music and stuff!? I thought B.L.I. got rid of all instruments ‘cuz they showed too much individuality.” She sounded amazed.

“Not all instruments,” I said, pointing to the guitars behind me.

“Woah! Can you teach me? Please?” she begged.

“Yeah, sure. I’ll show you once we’re in the forest, okay?” She nodded enthusiastically and gave me a hug. Ebony wasn’t too happy about being disturbed, but that didn’t bother me.

“Thanks so much Missile!” I felt a blush rising and I did my best to get rid of it. Kit giggled. My attempt had been unsuccessful. That made me blush more. I could feel my ears heating up. I thought about tying a bandanna over my face so she wouldn’t see if it happened again, but decided against it. Instead, I kept my eyes on the desert and occasionally stroked Ebony.

“Does your cat have a full name?” asked Kit a while later.

“Uhh, yeah. It’s ummm,” I flushed bright red, “Ebony DudeBro.” Kit started to laugh her beautiful laugh and I relaxed slightly.

“That is the greatest name ever,” she said after she had stopped laughing. She was still grinning like crazy, it made her whole face light up. My goddamn heart was playing up again. I strand of her long, black hair fell over her face. She tucked it behind her ear and giggled slightly. I started listening very intently to the music that was playing. 

A few hours later, the sun set and we called it a night. I was now too tall to comfortably sleep in the front seat, but I didn’t tell that to Kit, even though she was slightly shorter than me. I put the seat back as far back as I could, then did my best to get to sleep. 

My dreams were plagued with thoughts of Pop and The Killjoys. I don’t know why that night was different, but I woke up at least ten times. Each time, I curled up tighter on my seat and went back to sleep.

The next day, we only had to drive for around six hours before we reached the forest. Since someone had fixed the Trans Am, it could cruise at 80 for hours with no issue. It made getting around much easier. 

“Woah,” said Kit as we entered the forest. She stood up to get a better view. I stopped under one of the trees and she climbed out the T-top then jumped off the roof without bothering with the door. Immediately, she scrambled up the nearest tree. It took her only a few minutes to reach the top, then she climbed half-way down and jumped off, rolling on impact.

“Where’d you learn to do that?”

“I used to run away a lot to a city a few miles away from home. It was completely abandoned apart from this group of people obsessed with parkour. They would jump across buildings and climb to the top of skyscrapers just for the thrill of it. They taught me everything I know, but a few years ago the place was taken over by bandits, so my friends fled. Or at least that was what I was told. I snuck back a few months ago and saw they had been hanged from one of the buildings they loved climbing so much. I haven’t been back there since.” She looked so sad. I knew what it was like to lose your family.

“Would you want to go back? I can teach you to shoot. We can take out the bandits.” She shook her head and looked at me sadly.

“Revenge never makes it better. No matter what, you’ll always want to avenge them, as if it'll bring them back. It’s best to just move on.” She wiped a tear off her cheek and smiled at me. “I’m still trying to move on. But it’s hard when there’s nothing I can do to distract myself.”

“Well,” I said as I picked up Ebony and finally got out of the car, “You’ve got us now. And we’ve got the whole world.” She smiled at me and my heart warmed.

“Yeah, I guess we do. Could you teach me how to play the guitar?”

“Sure!” She smiled again. I grabbed the guitars to distract myself from the butterflies in my stomach. There was a pang of grief as I looked at Pop’s. It was quickly erased by the look of wonder on Kit’s face as I brought them out of their cases. 

I showed her a whole heap of basic things. She was so good and picked them up pretty quickly. We played for the whole day, learning several songs and listening to some new ones. We figured out at least three Brian May solos in only a few minutes. Kit had an incredible musical ear. 

“What do you think he did to make his guitar sound like that?” asked Kit as we were listening to another Biran May solo.

“I dunno. Maybe he had a good amp or something.” We had discovered pretty quickly that the cheap amps were worth less than what I paid for. It was still fun though, and it gave the guitars a nice sound, not too dissimilar from some of the Demo tracks by My Chemical Romance. 

The sun set without either of us noticing. I considered playing via headlights, but Kit couldn’t stop yawning so we had dinner and called it a night. I slept on the bonnet of the car, ray gun tightly in my hand. Kit was inside on the back seat. 

I tried to get to sleep for a good few hours, but eventually gave up and reached into the car to grab my guitar. Kit was sobbing quietly. When she heard me, she stopped.

“What’s wrong?” I asked her. She sat up and wiped the tears from her face. I sat next to her.

“Just stuff.”

“Would you be willing to expand on that?”

She smiled weakly. “I wish I had been the one to find them, but it was my parents. They took me to the city, insisting there was a surprise. I was afraid they had found my family and that they would take them away. When we reached the centre of the city, my family was there. My parents told me I could join them, that I would never have to leave the city again. I felt so happy, but my family told me to run, told me they were going to die and I was better off elsewhere. They forced me back to my parents, who smiled and said they should be taken away. Bandits came and took my family away. My parents forced me to watch as they were hanged. They said it was my fault, that none of this would’ve happened if I hadn’t run away. They would still be alive if it wasn’t for me. I wish I had gone with them.”

She started sobbing again and I wrapped my arm around her shoulders. She pulled my into a tight hug, her head leaning on my chest. Her tears soaked into my shirt, but I didn’t mind. 

“It wasn’t your fault. That was all your parents. Your real family loved you and protected you. They wouldn’t be too happy if you died as well. They love you.” 

Eventually, she fell asleep, still holding onto me and leaning on me. After a while, I did too. 

The next morning, we both woke in uncomfortable positions. My back and neck hurt, and the side of Kit’s face was covered in red marks from my jacket zip and crumpled t-shirt. 

“Good morning,” she said. Her eyes were still slightly puffy. 

“Mornin’.” I made a small attempt to get up, but she pulled me back down and continued using me as a pillow. 

“Five more minutes. We don’t have anywhere to go.” I sighed and got slightly more comfortable. Her stomach rumbled slightly, but she ignored it. I had a feeling she usually had to.

“Are you sure you don’t want breakfast?” She sat up immediately. I laughed and she hugged me again. I felt so warm and safe in her arms. I never wanted to let go. I had to get breakfast though. She let go and I grabbed some food. ‘Twas gross, as was the way with desert food, but we ate it without complaint. 

Once done, we explored the forest a little more, then played guitar for hours. Every second I spent with her was amazing. We talked for hours about everything and nothing. We were attacked by a couple giant black birds, but a few shots that singed their feathers kept them away. 

“That bird looks familiar,” said Kat as yet another bird swooped towards us. She climbed into the car and searched through the pile of tapes.

“Found it!” she cried after a few seconds. She climbed out of the car proudly holding a yellow tape. She looked at it for a second. “Trench, Twenty One Pilots.” She put it in the Boom Box and the first song came on, Jumpsuit.

“This is so good,” said Kit. I said nothing, but grabbed another tape. It was Bullets. I waited for Jumpsuit to end, then I put on the MCR album. I skipped through the songs until I heard the opening notes of Vampires Will Never Hurt You. Kit was instantly awed. 

“Where did you find all this stuff?! It’s so good!” I smiled, another warm feeling blooming in my chest. It was so cool when she got excited. Her smile could light up the whole forest, and her eyes were wide with wonder. 

We stayed in the forest for another day, just getting to know each other and listening to great music. It was amazing. I taught Kit to play even more stuff on guitar, and she taught me how to climb properly. How to do parkour and stuff. Ebony was also having the time of her life, hunting small birds and insects. She never caught any, but it was fun to watch her try.

Both of us couldn’t stop smiling as we ate dinner. Music was playing softly from the boom box. I think it was Queen. 

“What do you think life was like in the time before?” I asked.

“Apparently there were trees almost everywhere and houses and cities as far as the eye could see. And the ocean was clear and blue, filled with millions of fish and other things. People could be who they wanted no matter what, and there were no ray guns, no mindless violence, just freedom for all. At least that’s what everyone says.”

“Really? That sounds incredible.” I closed my eyes and did my best to imagine it. “How do you know all this stuff?” 

“My family told me all about it. They didn’t fight in the Analog Wars, but they saw it all happen.” I wondered why they didn’t fight. The Killjoys had been on the front lines, that’s the reason everyone looked up to them, but fighting wasn’t for everybody. Most people thought it was a losing battle. And they were right.

“Well, we should probably go to sleep then,” I said. Kit nodded and went back into the car. I spread out on the still-warm bonnet, using my jacket as a pillow. Ebony snuggled under my arm, her purring soon sending me into an unfortunate sleep.

I was standing alone in a city center. I heard someone cry my name and I looked up. Pop, Poison, Jet, Kobra, and Ghoul were hanging from one of the buildings by their necks.

“You did this to us,” croaked Poison. 

“It’s your fault we’re dead,” said Jet.

“You could have saved me!” cried Pop.

“No!” I cried, “It wasn’t my fault! I promise I would’ve saved you! It’s not my fault.” But even as I said it, I didn’t believe it. Of course it was my fault. I could’ve let Korse kill me, then the Killjoys would be free, and I never would’ve met Pop anyway. 

The five of them snarled at me and morphed, turning white, until there were five Dracs hanging in front of me. They dropped to the ground and started running towards me. I raised my gun and started shooting at them, but it did nothing. They kept on running towards me, guns raised. One of them fired at me. The moment before it hit me, I woke up.

Someone’s arms were wrapped around me.

“It’s okay,” Kit whispered, “it wasn’t your fault.” I snuggled deeper into her arms and sighed.   
A few minutes later, I fell into a peaceful, unbroken sleep with no more dreams to disturb me.


	10. Chapter 10

When I woke the next morning, Kit was still wrapped around me. I could feel her heart beating so close to my own. She was still fast asleep. Ebony was lying on top of both of us. I stroked her slowly and she started to purr. 

A few minutes later, Kit woke up. 

“Mornin’,” she said, her voice muffled by my shirt. She sat up after a few seconds, much to Ebony’s displeasure. The cat dropped to the ground and stalked off. 

“How’d you sleep?” I asked her.

“No nightmares for the first time in months. Thank you.” I gave her another hug and felt her smile over my shoulder. “This is no time for sentimentalities. We need breakfast.” She stood up quickly and jumped off the car, flashing me a quick smile. I laughed slightly as I slid off the car and walked around to the trunk. I opened it up and looked worriedly at our declining amount of food. 

“I think we’ve got enough for a week,” said Kit, looking over my shoulder. 

“Well then, we’ll just have to find a store soon.” I grabbed a few cans and opened them. Kit and I sat on the bonnet, eating our breakfast.

“What can you tell me about the zones?” asked Kit. I sat back on the windshield and thought for a moment. 

“They’re the most incredible place in the world. There’s so much freedom, you can do whatever you want and no one will stop you. There are families and kids and people just wanting to get away from Bat City. Then there are the Killjoys, the rebels. They take every opportunity to defeat B.L.I. and take down Battery City.” I reached into my pocket and brought out the photos of the famous four and Pop. I showed them to Kit. “That’s Party Poison, Kobra Kid, Fun Ghoul, Jet Star, and Pop. They were my family, and now they’re gone.” I wiped away a tear and forced down a sob. Kit wrapped me in her arms.

“It’s okay, Missile. You’ve got me now.” I looked up at her and smiled again. She was so awesome. “The Zones sound incredible. We should go back there one day. I’d love to see it.” She sat back on the windshield with me and sighed. “I kinda wanna go to the time before, just to see what it was like, but at the same time, I love this life, and I don’t think I’d give it up for anything.” As she was talking, she grabbed my hand. My heart sped up. “I like you Missile,” she said. “I like you a lot.” Then she leaned over and kissed me. I was so shocked that I did nothing. She pulled back. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to… I thought-” I silenced her by kissing her back. She relaxed and pulled me closer, running her fingers through my hair. Then she pulled back and rested her head on my chest. I sighed and held her close, just enjoying the moment, thinking of nothing but her lips on mine, the feeling that I could fly. 

“I really like you too,” I said. She laughed and kissed me again. My heart started beating so fast I thought it might burst from my chest. Ebony bumped up against us, meowing. 

“Sorry Ebony,” I said, reaslising I hadn’t fed her yet. I untangled myself from Kit’s arms and grabbed another can of food. Ebony purred appreciatively and ate it all quite quickly. I gave her some water as well, then grabbed the guitars and spent the next while playing with Kit.

“We should probably get going,” said Kit after an hour or so. “We need more food and water.” I nodded and we put the guitars away and climbed back into the car. 

We drove for a few hours before we found a Dead Pegasus station. I fuelled up while Kit went inside to buy some food. While she was inside, I took out my boombox and flicked it onto the radio. There was nothing but static for a while, then Dr Death started talking.

“Another group of wannabe killjoys dusted last night. Please, stay inside, keep yourselves safe. This is not the time to die.” I turned it off. Things must be beyond bad if Dr D wasn’t begging people to take up the mantle of the killjoys. I decided to go back once I turned fourteen. Maybe I could help or something. I doubted it though. Really, I just wanted to go home.

“Why’re you looking so sad?” asked Kit as she came back over.

“No reason,” I said. She smiled at me and I immediately felt better. “Where do you wanna go now? We can see snow in Canada, or we can go to the ocean.” She thought for a moment. 

“How about both?” she asked. I smiled and nodded. We got into the car and started driving.

It took us about two weeks to reach the ocean. It wouldn’t have taken that long had we not stopped every other day to play guitar or explore or occasionally take down a few bandits. I tried to avoid killing them, instead just shooting them in the leg so they were out of commision for a while. Luckily for us, none of them had guns of their own, so we didn’t get hurt.

When we finally did reach the ocean, Kit was speechless. There was so much awe in her face. To see her so happy made me feel all light and fluttery. 

“What’s that?” she asked, pointing into the waves. I looked where she was pointing and couldn’t see anything. I looked harder, concentrating until the air looked wavy. I blinked and still saw the waves in the air, pulsing with every movement of the ocean. They were waves of energy. I looked at Kit and saw those same waves going crazy with life and joy. I remembered Cola had said something about looking at the waves of what you were trying to shoot. I hadn’t understood him then, but that seemed to be what he was talking about.

“Probably just a fish,” I replied after a while.

“Woah.” I had to agree with her. Everything about the ocean was so amazing and impossible looking. Yet here it was, right in front of us. Even though I had seen it before, there was little else that could compare.

We stayed there sitting on the hood of the car, staring at the ocean, for a long time. The smell of salty air, the light wind that gently blew our hair around. Ebony was purring as she rubbed against our ankles. Kit took my hand in her own. Immediately, I felt like this was the best moment of my life. 

When the sun set, we climbed back into the car and curled up together on the backseat. It was the only way to get the nightmares to stop. There was a constant feeling of warmth and safety when she was around.

I remembered a long time ago when I had asked Poison what love felt like. They said it felt like butterflies in your stomach that turn into a warmth all through your body every time you see or hear them. They said it was the greatest feeling the world, but it could also be the worst. While saying this, they were looking longingly at Fun Ghoul who was attempting to flirt with some random groupie. Ghoul was a total drifter. Poison had looked so sad, but the second they had seen me staring, they forced a smile. I never asked about it again.

But that feeling, that’s what it felt like to be with Kit. I wouldn’t say it was love, not at that moment, but it was pretty goddamn close. Just to be near her made all my problems dissolve.

When I woke up the next morning, I felt cold. I opened my eyes and saw that I was alone. I heard a guitar playing softly. Kit must’ve woken up a while ago. 

After sitting up and rubbing the sleep out of my eyes, I got out of the car and sat beside Kit on the bonnet. She was playing something I didn’t recognise.

“Whatcha playing?” I asked.

“Just something I made up,” she said, continuing to play the soft melody.

“It’s really nice,” I said. She smiled. 

“Thanks.” I leaned back on the car windscreen, trying to sort out my feelings for the girl next to me. I knew she liked me, otherwise she wouldn’t have kissed me, but did her feelings run as deep as mine? I would hate to push her away, but I had seen what happened when love was one sided. It meant every interaction was awkward and filled with longing for the other, but I didn’t want that. I pushed the thoughts aside and decided that I would wait for her to say something first. 

We spent the rest of the day doing nothing in particular. It was nice to be near the ocean. The next day, I saw the family from the last time I had been here, their daughter slightly older now.

“We have to leave,” I said quickly. Kit didn’t ask any questions until we were at least a kilometer away.

“Why’d we have to go?” She sounded so sad.

“I upset a couple people a while ago, and they said if they saw me again they would hand me over to B.L.I.. I don’t really wanna die.”

“What did you do?”

“I stopped their daughter from running into the ocean.”

“And they hate you for that because…” I couldn’t answer. I didn’t even know. People were weird. 

“Where to now?” I asked. 

“Ummm… I dunno. Wherever, I guess. How about we keep on driving in a straight line ‘til we find something cool?” she suggested.

“Okay. Do you wanna drive?” Kit nodded. I stopped the car and we swapped seats. Kit was a bit nervous at first, but soon was driving comfortably. I felt quite tired even though we hadn’t done anything, and decided to go to sleep.

I’m not sure when I woke up, but it was still light. Kit was scanning the horizon, looking worried. I followed her gaze and saw a large cloud of dust that seemed to be moving towards us. As we drove closer, I saw that it was a group of white motorbikes, not unlike the ones from Bat City. But they were not being ridden by Dracs. 

“Bandits,” she said.

“Fucking hell.” I pulled out my ray gun and Kit handed over hers. She changed direction slightly so we were driving straight towards the group. I stood up, glad the T-roof was open and concentrated for a second on the group of bikes. It took only a second for waves to start radiating off of them. I raised my ray gun, the waves guiding me straight to wards my target, and fired. The blast hit the tire of the first bandit and the bike crashed into the ground, sending the bandit flying. Others tried to swerve to avoid the wreckage, but they were not skilled in anything other than straight lines. There was a small pileup of bikes and bodies that the bandits had just started to avoid. I fired another shot and the bike went down. But the bandits saw what I was going to do and started to spread out, swerving to avoid their fallen comrades. A couple of them raised their own ray guns, and I shot each and every one out of their hands. 

We were getting closer and closer. A few blasts whizzed past my head, I shot at every gun I could see, but not at those I couldn’t. There was another zap in my direction, and this one didn’t fly past me.

I collapsed into my seat, unable to feel anything other than the searing pain in my chest. Kit looked at me, I saw anger and sadness in her eyes, but upon hearing another shot, she sped up and drove right through the oncoming bandits. They went flying, motorbikes and bodies colliding with the front of the car. The rest of the bandits fled, but she kept on going.

I blacked out. I’m not sure for how long, but when I came to, Kit was still driving. 

“You’re gonna be okay,” I heard her say. I wanted to reply, but I blacked out again.

I could feel myself drifting further and further away from the car, from Kit, from life. No, I told myself. I was not going to leave my family. I pulled myself back, forcing my mind to wake up and stay rooted to my body.

“Sup, Kit,” I said quietly. It hurt so much to talk, to breath, to do anything. Kit jumped when she heard my voice, her foot slamming on the brakes.

“How are you alive? That shot went right through your heart.” I tried to answer, but it was too much. “It’s okay, we’ll get you some help. I’m gonna stop for the night and go to sleep, okay?” I tried to nod, but couldn’t. Kit looked at me sadly, then climbed into the back seat. It only took a few minutes for me to fall into a deep sleep.

When I woke up, we were driving again. The pain in my chest was gone. I sat up, feeling perfectly fine. I looked at my chest and saw a charred hole in my shirt. There was a scar on my chest, right over my heart.

“What the fuck!?” I said quietly. Kit looked over.

“How are you al- awake?” she asked. 

“I dunno. But it’s healed already,” I said. Kit slowed to a stop and turned in her seat. I showed her the scar.

“It was smoking yesterday. You were basically dead.”

“What can I say? I don’t know how it happened, I just know that it did. I don’t need an explanation, I’m just happy I’m alive.” 

“Yeah, me too.” We didn’t speak much after that. I could tell that Kit was seriously freaked out. I was too, but I had survived fatal things before.

Eventually, the silence became too much and I turned on the radio, flicking through every channel. There was nothing but static. 

“Can we listen to Panic!?” asked Kit. I nodded and dug around in the pile of tapes ‘till I found one of their albums. I put it on, letting the music distract me from the day's events. Kit and I didn’t talk about anything, we just sat in silence, driving through the featureless desert


	11. Chapter 11

I woke to a burning pain in my hand. Then another further up my arm, then on my side. I cried out and opened my eyes. The sky was grey and rain was starting to fall. I sat up and slid off the car.

“Is it morning already?” asked Kit through a yawn.

“Yup. And it’s raining.” She sat up immediately and we both climbed into the car. The second we slammed the doors shut, the rain began to fall even faster.

“Any burns?” I asked. She shook her head. I looked down at my hands and saw the blistering skin already starting to scab. There was a hole in my jacket sleeve, but underneath was little more than a mark. I crossed my arms to hide the burns and sat back in my seat, listening to the rain.

“So, sleeping on the roof isn’t too great,” she said. I nodded and yawned, putting my seat back and closing my eyes.

“I guess not,” said Kit. I heard her climb over the seat divide before she curled up next to me on the seat. I held her close and fell asleep a few minutes later. 

It was dark when I woke. Kit was driving, the moonlight hitting the side of her face, illuminating her perfect features. I made no noise as I admired her, but she sensed I was looking. When she saw me, a blush reddened her cheeks and her ears. She went back to looking at the path ahead, trying to fight off a smile.

We were driving for a long time, all through the night and the next day. I don’t know why, we both just felt like we couldn’t stop. We didn’t rest, didn’t talk, didn’t do anything for four long days. Then we stopped.

I left the car and walked into the desert. It was hotter than anywhere I had ever been before.I fell to my knees, digging my hands into the hot sand, closed my eyes, and waited. I wasn’t sure what for, but then it came.

I threw my head back, my eyes open wide, but I could see nothing but the vortex of sand that now surrounded me. It heated up, every grain glowing white hot as it flew through the air.

The white was suddenly gone, replaced by the familiar desert of my home. I saw masks lying in the sand, covered in blood. A blaster went off and a drac ran after a killjoy, shooting her in the back of the head. Then I saw the diner lying in ruins, Dr D dead beside it. 

Then I was back in the middle of nowhere, sitting in the sand. I stood up and walked back to the car.  
“It’s time to go back to The Zones,” I said to Kit. She nodded and we climbed inside the car.

Two days later, I was on the outskirts of my home. I climbed out of the car, a bag with a few blasters and a can of food on one shoulder, Ebony on the other.

“I’m coming back in two weeks,” Kit said, kissing me on the cheek. “If you die, I will kill you.” I smiled and waved goodbye as I stepped over the border back into my home.

“I love you,” I whispered, knowing she heard me anyway. I took a deep breath and began walking, not wanting to waste any time. 

I was here to save Battery City, and I wasn’t going to fail.


	12. Chapter 12

“Look alive, Sunshine! It’s Dr Death-Defying in your speaker beater, revving up your morning engines. Your ear on the earth! Your cataract in the clouds! Something big went off late last night on the outskirts of Bat City. A B.L.I. Bug bomb, they call it, and the bodies keep popping-- but don’t get choked up over it. Get your mask on before the blackout gas hits you faster than Medusa's motorbike.” It was completely dark. I reached up and found the zip for the body bag I was in. I opened it and Ebony jumped out.

“Grab your friends and hold them close. ‘Cus we got no time for heroes, and no room for ghosts. Boo!” I sat up and stretched. Dr D started talking about ads. I stood up and stretched again, then grabbed my backpack and the boombox. I was surrounded by white B.L.I. body bags, each of them holding someone. I couldn’t remember what had happened last night, only that it sucked for everyone apart from me. That car immortality thing really came in handy. 

“Hurry up,” I said to Ebony. “If we want to eat today, we’re gonna have to see Chow Mein. Let’s go.” 

We walked through the desert, passing dead trees and small shrubs. Cherri Cola was talking now, I wasn’t paying attention. I looked behind me and saw the dozens of white-wrapped bodies behind me. What had happened?

After a while, I arrived at the motel. There were a couple people looking in the mirror, trying to see if whatever they were wearing looked good. The guy behind the till lost patience.

I bought some food and left, trying not to draw attention to myself. It didn’t work.

“Hey! Wait up!” called one of the kids from inside as I started running.

“Vinyl! Stop her!” yelled the other one. 

“Jeez. Couldn’t you just have stopped? I’m all sweaty now,” said the first one.

“Turn around, let’s have a look.” I turned. “It is you! I knew it! I had your action figure! I’m Vaya, and that’s Vamos,” said the one with teal hair, pointing at her pink-haired counterpart. They looked like twins.

“Missile Kid! The girl who rode with the real killjoys. You must have been, what, six?” she said.

“Hey, Val. Come have a look.” The two of them began bombarding me with questions as a guy with white hair and a white jacket came over. He was wearing a grey mask with a red x. He started to talk to me, but was interrupted by a call of “DRACS!” Everyone turned to see a guy with a purple mohawk running towards us. He sprinted past, yelling about how many and whether they were scarecrows. We ran after him, guns raised. 

“Ready to fight, little one?” asked Val. “Now you can show what’s so special about you.” 

We ran through a rock formation and were greeted by four dracs standing back to back. I stopped running for a second and concentrated on their waves. Then I shot each of them square in the chest. They dropped to the ground and I ran forward to take their ray guns and all of their masks. I shoved them in my backpack. 

Val and his group looked at me, awestruck. I blew the smoke from the barrel of my gun, then shoved it back into my holster.

“Woah,” said Vaya. “Where’d you learn to shoot like that?”

“I’ve been outside of the Zones for two years, I picked up a few things.” Ebony rubbed against my leg and purred. I picked her up and put her on my shoulder. 

“You should come with us back to the Nest,” said Vamos. I nodded and they led me to their home. It was a small house next to a giant metal head half-buried in the ground. I recognized it immediately as Destroya. Hundreds of stereos and radios were littered around the house and the head. Dozens of teenagers were standing around, waiting for our arrival. We went inside. It was just as cluttered as the surrounding area, but in a homely way. There was a red checkered couch and a tv. Vaya and Vamos leapt onto the couch.

“I can’t believe the power’s back on!”

“I know! It’s been years. Now I can show you who’s boss in Neon Ghostslingers 8.” They started to play a video game, yelling at each other when they lost. I left the building feeling overwhelmed. I wished Kit was there. 

A guy came running over with blond hair. Just as he reached Val, everyone came running out of the building yelling about a Scarecrow attack. Val looked at the new commer and raised his gun.

“We’ve been under the radar for years, then you show up. Are you working for anyone?” yelled Val. The guy shook his head and tried to say something. Tears were running down his face. Val shot him in the chest. 

The sun was going down as the B.L.I. car pulled up. Korse stepped out and my blood boiled. The pink haired kid held me back as Val and Korse raised their guns. The second before either of them shot, the building exploded. 

I ran into the head of Destroya, ducking below the rim of the eye. Ebony was right next to me. I stayed there for the whole night, all the others dead and unconscious around me. 

In the morning, Val and his friends got up, talking about spies and Battery City. Something grabbed my arm and pulled me out of the eye socket. I fell to the ground.

“Wh- What the hell? Why did you do that? Who-” I looked up and saw Cherri Cola standing over me. “Cola? Cherri Cola?” 

“We have to get you out of here,” he said as he started walking away. I scrambled to my feet and ran after him. 

“So you’re back,” he said as we walked back to the radio station. 

“I figured I had waited long enough. This place has really gone to shit since I left.”

“Yeah. You still in denial about that whole Messiah thing?” he asked me.

“I dunno. I’m basically immortal now which is fun.” He looked at me in shock. “Well, I have to have been in the Trans Am within the past week, but yeah. And I can still get hurt.”

“What have you been doing out there, Missile?” he asked. 

“Exploring. I killed a couple bandits, made a friend, watched as he was killed, killed some more bandits, made a new friend, and came back here. I’m gonna destroy Battery City and I’m gonna save the Killjoys while I’m at it.” 

We went into the station. Dr D was busy in his studio, broadcasting the latest news. Ebony rubbed up against my leg and meowed. 

“Do you have any food?” I asked Cola. He pointed to a pile of cans behind Dr Death. I walked in and grabbed one.

“And Missile Kid is officially back in the Zones. It’s been two years and we’re all glad to see her again.” Dr D smiled at me and gave me a thumbs up. I walked out of the room and opened the can. I sat on one of the couches and Ebony leapt onto my lap, trying to eat my food. I laughed and pushed her off.

“So,” said Cola as he sat opposite me, “What’s it like outside of the Zones?”

“Pretty cool. There’s no water for ages, and most people only get food every other day or so. Lot’s of bandits. Most people have clubs and bats, but I came across a massive group of bandits with ray guns. I killed all of them, but got shot,” I took off my jacket to show him the massive scar all along my arm. “That got infected, then I went into a coma for a while. Around forty weeks. I basically died, except I can’t really die anymore. 

“I went to Canada and saw forests and snow. I saw the ocean and I met some pretty cool people. Almost everyone said I was crazy, or that the Zoners where stupid ‘cuz they left the paradise of Battery City. Most of them didn’t realise that ray guns hurt like a bitch if you get shot in the foot.” I laughed a bit and Cola smiled. “So what’s been happening here?”

The smile immediately dropped from his face. “The Scarecrows are getting braver. Most people have fled to the outer Zones, and no one is fighting back anymore. I don’t blame them. It’s suicide right now. There’s no mercy and no hope.” He sighed. 

“Can we go to the letter box, please? I killed some Dracs, and I think they might need help getting home.” Cola nodded and stood up. 

We walked for a few minutes and arrived at the mailbox. It was covered in graffiti and writing. I remembered the last time I’d been here, to send Pop off. A sob was rising in my throat. I pushed it down and asked Cola a question.

“How does putting these masks in help the souls they stole?” I knew that it did, I’d just never quite understood it.

“These masks once meant something, now they are just used to hide who you are. The Witch knows that. Anything close to the soul will help her guide it home. Draculoid masks are a different story. The souls these masks take are lost, but we still have to try. There’s more than electricity coursing through Bat City. It’s littered with innocent souls, trapped in the city’s electricity. Souls that cannot find their way home. Hey! Where are you going?” I had seen Val in the distance, standing, staring at the burning ruins of his home. I ran towards him, unsure what he was going to do. “Wait for me!” called Cola. I ignored him.

“There’s nothing left. B.L.I just came and took it. If the people of Bat City knew what they do out here to make it safer in there… we can show them the corpses. We can show them the rubble that was once our home,” Val began climbing the face of destroya. “We call ourselves killjoys after a group of failures. We can do better, we will do better. It’s time.” He stood on the top of Destroya, the flames behind him casting all his features in a dark shadow. “No more hiding out and waiting for death.” There was a crowd of people standing around listening to him. “It’s time to wake up and infest Bat City like a cancer. It’s time we took death to their doorstep, to the entire city. Let’s pull out those ray guns and make them sing! It’s time we took the war to them!” he yelled. He was met with cheers and calls of admiration from the crowd below him.

“He’s not right, you know. He’s young, dangerous, and thinks he knows everything. He saw the guns and the colours, but not what they really stood for,” said Cola, looking down at me. I knew he was right, but this was my only chance to defeat B.L.I. and Battery City.

“He is right,” I said, “The City is B.L.I., and B.L.I. needs to be destroyed. We need revenge for what they did to us. Those monsters took our friends.” I heard Kit’s voice in the back of my head. Revenge isn’t worth it, she said. I wanted so badly to listen to her, but I knew that B.L.I. had to be destroyed.

“No,” said Cola. “There are people in the city worth saving. It’s better to forgive. This isn’t the answer. You don’t have to do this. You have a choice.” I brushed him off. I didn’t have a choice. This is what I was meant to do. I could feel it.


	13. Chapter 13

Cola and I walked through the desert on our way to get water. A guy was spread out on a green armchair, his skin red and burnt. It looked like he’d been there for a long time. Cola knelt next to the water dispenser only a few feet behind him and filled up a bottle.

“You all right brother?” he asked as he emptied the water on the red guy. “I know what it’s like.” Cola walked back to the water dispenser.

“What the hell was that about? Is that guy even alive?” I asked him.

“He’s a wave head. An addict getting high off the sun’s radiation. Salvation is twenty feet away and he doesn’t even want it.”

“You-” the guy had started walking towards us.

“Come on, can’t we just go already?” I said to Cola.

“The kids at the nest need the water. There’s nothing left for them, and everyone else is too busy polishing their guns. We have to help.” I could hear the urgency in his voice. The wave head was coming closer.

“What kind of crap was that, man? I’ve been here nine days, cooking, baking, living off rays and you ruin just ‘cuz.” The wave head shoved Cola up against the water dispenser, choking him with his forearm. “So you got clean, Cola? Still a pansy, huh? Doesn’t matter how many scumbags you try to save, old man. Your friends are still dead. And you know what? They deserved it.”

“HEY!” I yelled and pulled him off. “Get the hell out of here.” He started to walk away.

“I’ll say hi to your boys in hell for you.” he muttered.

“They’re not dead!” I yelled after him. He didn’t turn, just shook his head sadly and kept on walking. Cola filled up the rest of the bottles and we started walking back.

“You’ve been quiet,” said Cola a while later. The sun had set, and we were still walking back. 

“Cola, back there, that guy… that junkie, he walked all over you like a grade-school bully. He made a mockery of our friends and you just took it,” I said. Cola sighed.

“Guys like that… you can’t… they aren’t in their right minds,” he said sadly. “Come on. It’s getting late. Let’s just go back to my station tonight. We can deliver the water tomorrow.”

“Ah, I think I might just stay at D’s tonight.”

“Oh, right, okay,” he said. “Hey, listen - be safe out there.”

“I will. And Cola… thanks… for everything.” I walked off into the night, leaving him alone. 


	14. Chapter 14

“Whoa! Look who’s back!” called Vaya as I came in view of the remains of the Nest. “Now the party can get started.”

“That ‘drobe’s is all sorts of salty. It’ll never do,” said Vamos, leaning on his twin.

“We’re gonna have to get you some sugar,” said Vaya. “Makeover!”

“I’m thinking some sleeveless and neon,” Vamos suggested.

“Oh. I like that. It’ll really make you pop,” agreed Vaya. “Don’t worry. You’re gonna look awesome!”

“Yup. Just like us,” said Vamos.

“Does this look okay?” I asked the next day, wearing a torn black shirt, my hair tied up in a low ponytail.

“Oh, that won’t do at all. You look like the mayor,” said Vaya.

“Hahahaha! The mayor! If you wanna roll with the Ultra V’s, you need to look the part.” said Vamos. They redid my hair and gave me a green shirt and green jacket. I felt uncomfortable, holding a white drac blaster awkwardly. Ebony was playing in the sand by my feet.

“Ah, now that’s better! Let’s go show Val.”

“Just a heads-up on Val, new girl. He hasn’t been the same since the nest blew up. He’s been acting strange, looking over his shoulder all the time like someone’s out to get him,” warned Vaya. 

We started walking over the hill we were on, towards the sound of gun blasts and Val’s voice.

“He’s been very paranoid since B.L.I. found the nest,” said Vamos. 

“Val! Val!” called Vaya as he came into view. He was with Vinyl, shooting at something. I looked over and saw it was some guy attached to a pole. His hair had been dyed a bright red since I last saw him. 

“Will you two stop screaming my name like that? You’d think you were always in some kind of grave-” He stopped shooting and looked over at me. “Well, well… look what the cat dragged in.” Ebony rubbed against my leg. “You finally decided to roll with the cool kids. Lemme show you how we do target practice around here.”

“Don’t worry, he’s already dead,” said Vamos. “Val thought this guy was trying to send smoke signals to B.L.I. last night.”

“Turns out he was just trying to keep warm.” Vaya laughed. “Too bad we found out after we strung him up.” Paranoid was an understatement, I thought to myself. I looked at the guy tied to the pole, reading the waves around him. I saw him giving off a very clear signal of still being alive.

“Wait, Val!” I cried out. “Stop! That guy just moved! He’s still alive!” 

“Not anymore,” said Vinyl. Val raised his blaster.

“Haven’t you heard? Killing is the new cool. Looks like we need another target.” Val shot once more, hitting the guy in the chest. “By the way, I like the new look. I think you’ll fit right in.”


	15. Chapter 15

I keeled over and threw up. We were at a birthday concert, and there was nothing to drink aside from beer.

“What are you looking at?” I asked Ebony as she purred beside me. “I don’t like it here any more than you do. This jacket doesn’t even fit, but this is the only way we’re gonna get my old friends back.” I picked the cat up and stood as she climbed onto my shoulder. “Let’s just go find Val.”

“And we don’t need no D.J.s telling us how to live our lives. If we wanted rules we’d fly in with the crows to Bat City,” the singer was yelling to the crowd. “This isn’t teenage rebellion, this is a call to arms. And when B.L.I is gone, the after party will be bigger than this.” He was met with whoops and screams. “Val Velocity is leading the charge into the city tomorrow. I wanna know who’s with him? I said,” he paused for effect, “WHO'S WITH HIM?” Once again, the crowd cheered, throwing up fists and masks. 

“Hey, where'd you go? You’re missing A.K.A. Loretta” said Vaya as I ran into them. I was hardly missing the band, they were loud enough to be heard from miles away.

“Yeah, no, I’m fine… I mean I was just- I had to pee,” I said.

“Let’s get some more juice in you. You need to be firing on all pistons for our big day tomorrow. I’m not sure how, but you’re gonna finally end B.L.I.”

“I have to go,” I said, turning and leaving.

“And the pigs won’t quit,” the radio buzzed and I woke up. “A system failure for the masses. Antimatter for the master plan.”

“D?” I whispered, turning over on my backpack pillow. I sat up. “Hey, where did you guys get this tape? I haven’t heard it since I was a little girl,” I asked Vaya who had been sleeping next to me.

“What tape? It’s live,” she said sleepily.

“No, it isn't, this is a recording. Hey, where’s Val? Hey!”

“He took off a while ago,” said Vamos without opening their eyes. “Go back to sleep, would ya?” I stood up immediately, grabbing my bag, Ebony, and the boombox.

“Louder than God’s revolver and twice as shiny,” said D. I started running to his station. “The future is bulletproof.” The door was open. “The aftermath is secondary.” There was a picture of Cola and Dr. D taped under his katanas. “Killjoys, make some… ”

“What the-?” I walked into the station and saw Val standing over D, his ray gun smoking, D with a hole through his chest. Val turned when he heard me.

“Dr. D was the spy for B.L.I. and the one who led them to the Nest. I figured it out.” I looked at him in shock.

“There isn’t any spy! You’re just crazy! He was just trying to help us survive out here. He… he loved us,” I said, kneeling beside the fallen D.J..

“Grow up, sweetheart. Sit here and sob or come back with me. You can have a home with us. A purpose.” I already had a home with Kit and soon with the Killjoys. I didn’t need the Ultra Vs. “That’s what you want, right? B.L.I.”s spy is dead. I can feel the ground is shaking with an army of Draculoids as we speak.”

“No,” I said, pulling out my white blaster. “I want you to run.” I raised it at him, finger on the trigger. He started to laugh.

“And what are you gonna do with that? You aren’t some golden child- some saviour. I don’t know why the Killjoys wasted their time with you. You aren’t special. You’re just scared and alone. And now you want me to be scared?” I shot right past his head, singeing some of his red hair. “Right. Well, why don’t you just hang out and wait to die, then. I’m outta here.” He turned and left. I cradled D’s head, tears streaming down my face. 

I don’t know how long I stayed there, but I knew it had been too long. I got up and left Dr D there, hoping Cola wouldn’t find him first. 

“Help.” There was a scarecrow lying in the sand, his face covered by a familiar white and black mask. “Please… help me. Can’t move… breath,” he coughed, “in Battery City,” he coughed again, “my wife,” and again, “tell her I love…” he said no more. 

There was a zap I knew all too well, followed by a hot pain in my back. 

“Get down!” someone yelled. I couldn’t stay up. I collapsed on the ground in pain. I could feel my back smoking. “I’ll take care of this.” The voice was familiar. There were more zaps and the sounds of bodies hitting the ground.

“Cola?” I asked weakly. “Cola, Val killed D. I didn’t get there in time to stop him, I- I shouldn’t have left you like that. I’m sorry.”

“It’s okay. Dr Death-Defying will be with our other friends soon. Now, be still.” He shot Drac after Drac. I saw a Scarecrow come up behind him.

“Cola… behind you…” I said, but my voice was little more than a whisper. I was fighting to stay conscious, but once I saw him get shot in the back and fall beside me, I let the darkness embrace me. 

I woke some time later. The sky was bright blue, Cola was lying on the ground next to me, his pink mask beside his face. Someone reached down to grab it. They were covered in black feathers with bandaged limbs and a masked face. The feathers formed a kind of cloak and I saw that the creature's feet were floating a few inches above the ground.

“Hey! Get away from him!” The creature turned. Only then did I notice that I was no longer in my body. I looked down at my hands and saw right through them.

“Poor soul. The first time he picks up a gun in years, he gets gunned down. And it was because of you, you know. He was trying to save you.”

“He did save me. He gave his life to save mine. But he didn’t even need to.”

“Oh, and why’s that?”

“I would’ve been fine. I always am. Getting shot isn’t going to kill me. I can’t die yet,” I said.

“You’re right of course. I couldn’t take you now anyway. Your journey isn’t over yet. And who knows what would happen if you were to detonate in the next world. Come, walk with me.” the creature floated over to an old trolly, depositing Cola’s mask inside and starting to push it.

“What the hell are you talking about? And who are you?” I asked, running to catch up with her.

“I go by many names, but around here they call me the Phoenix Witch.”

“What about Cola- is he going to be okay?”

“He’s dead, so yes. But don’t worry- we have known each other since a long time and a different world ago. I’ll take care of him. Hurry up now- we don’t have much time. There’s something I have to tell you… a choice you have to make and some things you may have forgotten.”

“Wait… time for what? Where are we going?” The scene changed to that of explosions and war. 

“The analog wars,” began the Phoenix Witch. “Your mother was a rebel, a freedom fighter and a leader. She led the Killjoys in the analog wars with her gun in hand and spirit full of fire. She fought for a future that doesn’t exist.”

“No,” I interrupted, “my mom was just a regular Bat citizen. She got taken away, so I ran. She didn’t fight in the analog wars.”

“I’m sorry this is how you find out, but that wasn’t your mother. That was just some citizen from Battery City looking after an orphan. Your mother was on the front lines.

“The killjoys fought as hard as they could, but B.L.I. won and your mum was captured. When they put the mask on her, her soul didn’t escape her body because it found another place to go, a place closer to home. She was pregnant.

“It went into you. All of her anger and rage--her stubbornness and spirit--channeled into you.

“It manifested into some deadly--something dangerous. Something grew inside you. You are a bomb. It is deep down inside your soul. You were born in Battery City, but you escaped and joined the Killjoys. They raised you.”

“Are you on something, lady?” The more I thought about it, the more it made sense. One does not simply become immortal. “So you’re telling me I’m a bomb--like I can go boom?” 

“Yes, a bomb. That’s why you ‘found’ that cat of yours. B.L.I. planted it in the desert. It’s a tracking device. They have been watching you to make sure you don’t get too close to the city again. You can destroy it. You can end things or begin them. You can charge batteries or drain them--give life or take it away.”

“I can literally blow up Bat city,” I said. “I can get my friends back and get revenge for my mother and destroy B.L.I.”

“Eh, killing. So easy a germ can do it. You’re better than that. Do me one more favour before I go… Look around. Do you see a difference out there besides the mask one chooses? Maybe the mask stands for a set of beliefs--or a list of orders. Whatever it may be, when that mask comes off, what is there to separate all of us?”

“You sound like Cola…”

“One last thing before I go, here are your memories back. Fawn made the right decision to hide them from you, but that is no longer needed.” The witch put her fingers on my temples. That day in Canada came rushing back to me with new details. I looked up to thank the witch, but she was gone, leaving nothing but a shower of feathers.

I woke up again a few hours later, this time back in my body. I stood up and walked into the old radio station. This time I knew who I was for the first time ever. 

I took a katana down from the wall and raised it to my hair, shortening it to only a few inches. I pulled on some new clothes and slung the katana over my back. Then I dragged Dr D and Cola to the top of a hill, burying them both.

“The ground isn’t as cold with you in it,” I said to the empty night.

I walked for a while, coming to a rock formation. The Ultra V’s were sitting around a fire, talking about the events of the past day.

“Get yourselves together. This was just a warm-up for Bat City,” said Val.

“Jeez , Val. Can’t we relax for a few minutes?” complained Vamos. She was holding Ebony, stroking her slowly.

“Yeah. What’s the worst that could happen if we took it easy for once?” agreed Vaya. Val said nothing, but looked in my direction, noticing me for the first time. I drew my katana and stepped out from the shadows. Ebony leapt from Vamos’s arms with a loud meow. 

“Whatever you think you’re gonna do isn’t gonna happen,” Val said as he leapt up, gun raised. “I’ve got an army of people right behind me ready to pounce if I say the words. So you better stay back.” I ignored him and knelt down. Ebony ran into my arms.

“Sorry about that. We thought you were dead and your cat looked lonely,” said Vamos.

“Yeah, we thought we’d give her a new home,” said Vaya.

“I’ve lost almost everyone I’ve ever cared about. This one’s staying with me.”

“I like the new attitude. And the hair,” said Vamos.

“Oh, yeah. Now that’s you. Maybe I should cut mine like that. What do you think, Vamos?” I ignored them and pulled a note out of my pocket.

“One more thing,” I said, showing the note to Ebony, “I’m not hiding anymore.” On the note was written one word ‘Boom’.


	16. Chapter 16

It was morning when we arrived at the outskirts of Battery City. There was an army of Ultra Vs following me. 

“I can’t believe we’re finally going to Bat City,” said someone behind me.

“Get ready-” said Val, coming up beside me, “for the fight of our lives.”

An army of Scarecrows and Dracs approached us, guns held high, faces covered by masks. The Ultra Vs raised theirs too. I held my katana tight, knowing this moment might make everyone turn on me.

“We surrender,” I said before anyone could start shooting.

“What?!” I heard from behind me. 

One of the Scarecrows in front spoke into a Walky-talky.

“We have secured the girl and her accomplices ma’am. How should we proceed?”

I couldn’t hear the reply.

The scarecrows and Dracs began herding us into the city.

“This is your plan?” hissed Val. “Just give up? You really aren’t anything special. I knew you were useless.”

“This is the way it has to be done, Val. Trust me.”  
`   
We walked in silence, the Scarecrows marching by our side. A black feather fell past my face. I remembered what I had been told by everyone.

“There’s more than electricity coursing through Battery City,” Cola had said. “It is littered with innocent souls, trapped in the city’s electricity that cannot find their way home.” 

More feathers had started falling. We walked past a stack of TVs. 

“There’s a bomb inside you,” the Witch had said. I smiled.

“Look at you. You led us in here thinking we were finally put a stop to B.L.I., but you gave up without even trying. Not even one gun was fired,” said Val, looking down at me.

“I never gave up Val. Firing guns is your way. And it was once mine,” I said. “I needed to find the right way.” A Drac mask was forced over my head and I felt something rise up inside me. I felt it burst through my chest and I started to rise with it. The power was surging through me, the power of Battery City. I was rising even higher now. Then I felt it change. Something was coming.

BOOM!

The sound was deafening, an explosion of power. I felt it reach into the power lines, freeing all the lost souls. I dropped back to the ground and looked around. The city was filled with the white-blue light of souls. They were returning to their owners.

Dracs and Scarecrows were taking off their masks, smiling and laughing. They were all back.

“Here,” said Val, offering me his hand. I took it and stood up. “Sorry for everything I’ve done.” He looked so lost, so powerless. I said nothing as I turned and walked out of Battery City, Ebony at my side, boombox in hand. 

I walked into the desert, towards the letterbox. I put down the boombox and it crackled to life.

“Look alive, sunshine.”

I walked away from it, not wanting to be reminded of what I lost.

“Hey… excuse me-” I turned and saw four figures wearing white Drac suits. The closest had fiery red hair. “We’re a bit lost. Can you help us?” 

A tear ran down my face.

“Do I know you?” asked Party Poison. I ran towards them and embraced all four. They were quite confused, but returned the gesture.

“You’re not lost anymore,” I said. I looked from Party Poison to Jet Star, Kobra Kid, to Fun Ghoul. Almost my entire family was here, even if they didn’t know it.

A car revved behind me and I turned to see the Trans Am barreling towards us. It swerved to a stop and Kit leapt out. I ran towards her and hugged her.

“I missed you so much, Kit,” I said.

“Did you do it? Did you destroy Battery City?” I nodded. She looked behind me and saw the four confused people. “Are they your family?” I nodded again, then saw a flash of yellow in the back seat. I had an idea. I climbed into the car and grabbed the helmets and masks of the Killjoys.

“Put these on,” I said as I handed them to their respective owners. All four of them looked wary, and I could understand why, but one by one they put the masks on.

“Missile?” asked Poison. They were back. The others looked around.

“Oh my god, Missile! You’re okay!” said Jet running towards me and picking me up in a massive hug.

“You saved us,” said Kobra. The four of them took off their masks.

“I guess we don’t need these anymore,” said Ghoul and dropped his mask on the ground. Then he turned to Poison. “I can’t believe we’re okay. I missed you, Poison.”

At some point, Kit had gone back into the car and put on some music. My Chemical Romance’s Helena started to play. There was a look of recognition on all the Killjoys faces. A tear rolled down Jet’s face.

“It’s been so long since I heard that,” he said. 

“How’d you find it?” asked Poison.

“It’s a long story,” I said. We all climbed in the car, Poison driving, Ghoul in shotgun, Kobra, Kit, and Jet sitting in the back. I sat in Kit’s lap and started to explain everything.

I was home now, and finally with my family.


	17. Epilogue: Two Years Later

Battery City had changed a lot since the Boom, as it became known. With the downfall of Better Living Industries, those who had created the dome surrounding the city were able to expand it. The entire desert was now protected from acid rain and lethal rays. With each passing month, it became less desert, and more forest. 

Destroya had caused almost as much damage in the downfall of Battery city as it had before the analog wars, but very few people had been harmed during its second rampage. Before Destroya had returned to the desert, it had granted the androids of the city unlimited power to protect themselves and rebuild their homes. Without B.L.I., the androids are only too happy to share the power on the terms that they would be treated as full citizens and as people. Their request was accepted immediately and the first steps to rebuilding the city began.

Within a year, all of it was new. Every building was unique but they all fitted together, and every single citizen, android or human, was given a home and a job. Every Zoner and Killjoy had been offered a place in the new city, and very few refused. Only some, such as the Famous Four could never see themselves anywhere but the desert.

“We need to go,” said Kit sleepily. I groaned and rolled over taking the covers with me.

"We're gonna be late," said Kit, shaking my shoulder. 

"Then we'll be late," I said, closing my eyes. 

"Great." Kit sat up and got out of bed. Then she grabbed the duvet and tore it away from my hands. 

"Noooo," I said, trying to grab it back. Kit just sighed and went into the bathroom. The shower turned on and I finally managed to get up. I went into the wardrobe, finding a shirt and some pants and got changed. 

Kit came out a few minutes later and we went downstairs. I made a cup of coffee and grabbed some breakfast then we left our apartment and stepped out onto the street. The walk to the town centre was quite a nice one. We passed many newly built apartment blocks. A few people waved, as they often did when they saw me. Even two years after the boom, I was uncomfortable with the attention. I may have saved the city, but I didn't really want to be known for it. 

Kit saw my discomfort and politely waved back before taking my hand and walking faster. A few children ran out in front of us, laughing and smiling, their parents running after them, looking slightly worried, but still happy. They knew they were safe. 

Of course, there had still been people that refused to stop taking pills, a few that kept their headphones on no matter what, but just about everyone decided to be free. If you saw a Blind on the street, you would recognise them immediately. If they believed that pills were better than freedom, chances are they fought in the Analog wars. No one really blamed them. If there was one thing that everyone wanted to forget, it was the wars. 

After a few minutes, we arrived at the courtyard. The courtyard served as a town hall of sorts, but it was way better. Instead of a stone building, it was a massive section of land in the centre of the city filled with trees and plants with a few benches places around. At the other end, under a willow tree, was a small stage with a pedestal and a microphone. The mayor was standing there already, shuffling her cue cards. Poison and Ghoul were sitting on the edge of a large stone fountain. I wasn't a big fan of it. It had technically been built in my honour, but at my insistence, it was a cassette tape and a small plaque with my name on it. The plaque was covered in scratch-mars and dents from the numerous times myself and others had tried to get rid of it. A few people, mainly the ones still on pills believed I had done a great disservice to the city. I just didn't really do anything. Technically, it was my mom, but no one really understood why.

"How 's it going?" I asked Poison and Ghoul. 

"Pretty good," replied Poison. "I still reckon you should move back out to the zones," they said, playing with the zipper on their jacket. 

"Maybe one day," I said smiling. "But the rest of the band lives here, and you guys won't lend us the Trans Am, so really, it's just easier." 

"How's that band going?" asked Ghoul. 

"Pretty good," I replied. "How's living together?" I asked. Poison rolled their eyes. Ghoul blushed slightly. 

"How'd you know?" 

"You're wearing Poison's shirt," answered Kit, pointing at the shirt under Ghoul's jacket. He zipped it up and glared at Kit, causing her to laugh. 

A few other people had begun to arrive. Soon the courtyard was packed with androids and humans, all of them smiling and laughing, a few holding hands and A few more children came through, playing games and running after each other. None of them were malnourished, and there were water fountains spread around the courtyard. It was an odd but beautiful sight, as many things in the new city were. I had yet to grow used to the incredible place I had helped create, but I loved it regardless. 

"Excuse me," the mayor said, her voice coming over the bad-quality sound system. "If I could have your attention please." We all looked over. The mayor began her speech and I relaxed, zoning out almost everything and just thinking about how different life was.

Every day, the sun rose, and we were protected. When it rained, there was no acid in the air, no reason to be afraid. As the mayor began her speech on Battery city, I marvelled at how far we had come. I smiled as I looked at my incredible fiance, and felt instead of fear and uncertainty, I felt nothing but joy when I thought of my future.

In the timeless words of the great Fun Ghoul, it was rad.


End file.
